Amid the spiralling row over the death of three civil service aspirants due to rainwater flooding at the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, a court on Tuesday reserved its order on the bail plea of an SUV driver and four owners of the coaching centre basement. It has been reported that a library was set up at the basement.
Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar reserved the order on the bail plea of the driver Manuj Kathuria and the basement owners Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh.
“Order reserved for Wednesday at 4 PM,” the court said.
Delhi coaching death: SUV driver accused
The driver of the Force Gurkha car Manuj Kathuria has been accused of driving the heavy vehicle through the inundated street causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement.
Seeking a bail for his client, Kathuria’s advocate Rakesh Malhotra said his client did not know what would happen, nor did he have the intention to cause the incident.
“It is very difficult to drive in a waterlogged area … What is the cause of the unfortunate incident? One, running a library in the place marked as something else… and two, the failure of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Jal Board etc. to prevent waterlogging,” the advocate said.
He said the authorities were very much aware of what was happening in the basement and cited in support an application made to the MCD by a resident against the illegal running of the library in the basement.
“If you expect that I knock on every door and ask whether I take my car forward, then my client is accused, not otherwise. How did he engage, abet or facilitate the offence? Please see the 30-minute footage and check the vehicular movement before and after,” he said.
“I am accused of driving at high speed. I haven’t been booked under the Motor Vehicles Act MV Act or for (the penal provision of) rash and negligent driving, then how can I be booked for these offences?” the advocate added.
He argued that the basic ingredients for the alleged offence of committing culpable homicide not amounting to murder were not made.
Delhi coaching deaths: About the incident
The three UPSC aspirants died due to flooding of the Rau's IAS Study Circle building basement in the central Delhi coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar following heavy rain on July 27.
Water from a flooded drain gushed into the basement where a library was set up.
Delhi coaching deaths: Students begin hunger strike
In light of the current incident, civil services aspirants holding a protest against the death of the students began an indefinite hunger strike to demand action in the case. According to PTI, over 400 students have been participating in the protest for the past three days despite heavy police deployment.
The protesting students are demanding compensation of Rs 5 crore to the victims' families, details of the FIR filed, a committee report within a specified time and a prohibition on using basements for libraries and classes in Delhi, another protester said.
Delhi coaching death: MCD seals 29 basements of coaching institutes
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) so far has sealed 29 basements of coaching centres in Delhi. According to an official statement, the coaching centres that faced action in Rajinder Nagar on Tuesday include the IAS Gurukul Tathastu, Officers IAS Academy, Forum IAS, Psyche World IAS, Sanchetna IAS, Prisha IAS, Path Academy and Drishti IAS.
In the MCD's latest sealing drive in Preet Vihar and Rajdhani Enclave, two basements of coaching centres faced action -- Sanskriti Academy and Pratham Institute, respectively, it said.
