The Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital has remanded all six accused in the Delhi coaching centre deaths case to the CBI custody. The court ordered a four-day CBI custody for all six individuals arrested in connection with the case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg sent Abhishek Gupta, Deshpal Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Parvinder Singh to custody till September 4.
"Considering the submissions in the application and in particular the scope of investigation in terms of the order dated August 2, 2024 of the High Court of Delhi, custodial interrogation of the accused persons would be necessary for the purpose of investigation and for ascertaining the role played by various individuals who might have been involved in corrupt practices or criminal negligence," the judge said.
The tragic incident occurred when rainwater suddenly flooded the basement of a coaching center in Old Rajendra Nagar, leading to the drowning of three students who were preparing for the IAS exam. The court stated that custody is necessary to investigate the matter further and determine the role of those involved.
Three civil services aspirants died
Three civil services aspirants -- two females and a male -- had lost their lives after a library housed in the basement of Rau's IAS centre got inundated in heavy rain on July 27. It reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point. Following this incident, a Delhi court had sent the owner and coordinator of the coaching centre to judicial custody.
Supreme Court on coaching centre deaths matter
The Supreme Court on August 5 took suo motu cognizance of the Delhi coaching centre deaths and issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi government over the matter. The court took cognizance of the issue related to safety norms in the coaching centres and expressed concerns over recent incidents in the coaching institutes that claimed lives of the young aspirants of various exams.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan slammed the coaching centres over the deaths of three students in the basement of a UPSC coaching centre in the Old Rajinder Nagar in the national capital and said that they are "playing with the lives of aspirants".
"These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. Coaching institutes can operate online unless there is full compliance of the safety norms and basic norms for a dignified life. Coaching centres are playing with the lives of aspirants who come from different parts of the country. No institute should be allowed to operate unless they comply with safety norms," the bench said.
The Delhi High Court on August 2 transferred the investigation into the deaths of three UPSC aspirants to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court cited the seriousness of the incidents and the potential involvement of corruption by public servants as reasons for this decision. The High Court observed that recent tragedies have demonstrated that court directions are not being followed thoroughly by civic agencies.
