Read Time: 03 minutes

Synopsis

The Tis Hazari Court, on Wednesday, denied bail to the SUV driver who was accused of driving his Force Gurkha car through a rain-flooded street, which allegedly caused the water to swell and breach the gates of a three-story building (Rau IAS Coaching Centre), flooding the basement. The Delhi Police had arrested an SUV driver along with four owners of the basement.

However, in a weird twist, the bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday reprimanded the MCD and questioned the Delhi Police over their reasons for arresting the SUV driver, who was merely a passerby. 

Kathuria, the SUV driver, argued that he was not connected to the incident and should not be held accountable. On the other hand, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava opposed Kathuria’s bail, arguing that his actions had exacerbated the incident. Advocate Amit Chadha, representing the basement owners, contended that the civic agencies were responsible and that the incident was an act of God.

After recording the submissions of the parties, Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar denied bail to SUV driver Manuj Kathuria and basement owners Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh.

On Wednesday, the DDE Anita Vats of the Directorate of Education also issued a circular to all Delhi schools mandating strict adherence to safety and security guidelines. The circular emphasized the necessity of proper infrastructure to prevent similar incidents. Principals of government-aided, and private schools were instructed to ensure functional gates, clear evacuation routes, regular checks for water accumulation, and adherence to electrical safety norms.

[Inputs: PTI]