Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths: HC Transfers Probe To CBI, Tells Police ‘Mercifully, You Haven’t Challaned Rainwater’

The Delhi High Court has transferred the investigation of the drowning deaths of three civil services aspirants at a Delhi coaching center to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Three civil services aspirants died in the waterlogged basement of Rau IAS Circle, Delhi

Source : PTI

The Delhi High Court has transferred the investigation into the drowning deaths of three civil service aspirants at a coaching centre’s basement to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This move aims to ensure public confidence in the probe.

On Friday, a bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela expressed severe criticism of the Delhi Police’s handling of the case. The court lambasted the police for arresting the driver of an SUV, which had allegedly entered the basement. "Mercifully, you have not challaned the rainwater for entering into the basement," remarked the bench, as quoted by news agency PTI. "You would have said how dare the water enter the basement. You could have fined the water also, the way you arrested the SUV driver."

Manuj Kathuria was accused of driving his SUV through the street flooded by rainwater on July 27, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building housing the coaching centre and flooding the basement, where the three students were killed. 

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The court directed the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to appoint a senior officer to oversee the CBI's investigation in a timely manner. It also highlighted the need to address broader issues related to Delhi's outdated infrastructure. The bench formed a committee, chaired by Delhi's Chief Secretary and including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Vice Chairman, Delhi Police Commissioner, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner, to submit a report within eight weeks, PTI reported.

The High Court criticised the police and MCD, questioning the feasibility of the basement’s escape routes and the adequacy of its flood prevention measures. "What's your line of looking? How did the children drown? It doesn't get flooded immediately. Water takes at least two to three minutes to fill a basement. Why were they not able to come out?" the bench queried, as quoted by PTI's report.

Addressing the administrative failures, the court noted that Delhi’s civic authorities often pass responsibility without effecting meaningful change. The bench also remarked on the inefficiency of the Delhi government, stating, "If the administrators are carrying on with a freebie culture, they would not know how to change the structure."

The court also noted that the city's infrastructure, some of which is nearly 75 years old, is poorly maintained. It questioned why the MCD had not informed the MCD Chief about the dysfunctional stormwater drains in the area, the report stated. Further, the court ordered the removal of encroachments and unauthorised constructions on stormwater and sewage drains in Rajinder Nagar and emphasised the need for a robust system to handle Delhi’s growing population and migration.

Regarding the Delhi Fire Services' clearance of Rau's IAS Study Circle, where the drowning occurred, the court questioned the rapid change in the basement's usage from storage to a study hall.

The court's actions followed a plea by the organisation Kutumb, which sought a high-level inquiry into the deaths of Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala, who died on 27 July in the flooded basement.