Court denies bail to 4 co-owners of basement in Delhi coaching centre deaths

NEW DELHI: A city court on Friday denied bail to four co-owners of the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre basement where three civil services aspirants died by drowning last month, while also highlighting the complicity of the municipal authorities in the incident. The court observed that the owners were not solely responsible for the tragedy; the inaction of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) played a significant role in the disaster.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna rejected the bail applications of Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarbjit Singh, citing the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the tragedy, which is still in early stages. The court noted that the exact role of each accused in the incident needed to be thoroughly probed, particularly in relation to the violations of building bye-laws and encroachments on drains.

The court emphasised that a local resident, Kishore Singh Kushwaha, had lodged a complaint against Rau’s IAS Study Circle a month before the tragedy, warning of the possibility of a major accident due to the illegal use of the basement. Despite multiple reminders, authorities failed to take timely action, which could have prevented the loss of lives.