- Thursday, December 26, 2024
The Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case from the Delhi Police following a Delhi High Court order
By: Shajil Kumar
THE CBI has taken over the probe into the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar here and registered an FIR against the owner of the institute, officials said on Wednesday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case from the Delhi Police late Tuesday evening following a Delhi High Court order.
The central agency has re-registered a case against Abhishek Gupta, owner of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, in accordance with the laid down procedure, the officials said.
Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala drowned after water gushed into the basement of a building housing Rau’s IAS Study Circle following heavy rains on July 27.
The IAS aspirants were studying in the library set up in the basement when water flooded it resulting in their deaths.
The CBI has booked Gupta for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence, voluntarily causing hurt, negligent conduct, and common intention.
The high court had castigated police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) over the students’ deaths, saying it was unable to fathom how they could not come out of the basement. It also sought to know whether the doors were blocked or staircases narrow.
“What’s your line of looking? How did the children drown? You have done an investigation now. We are on August 2. Why were they not able to come out of the basement? It doesn’t get flooded immediately. Water takes at least two-three minutes to fill a basement, it can’t happen in a minute. Why were they not able to come out,” the court had asked.
The court had also asked the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to nominate a senior officer to oversee the probe by the CBI into the criminal case.
Court notice
A Delhi court on Wednesday issued a notice to the CBI on bail applications of four jailed co-owners of a coaching centre basement where three civil service aspirants drowned recently.
Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna directed the central probe agency to file its response by August 9, when the court will hear the bail applications of four accused – Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh.
The court while issuing notice observed that since the copy of the FIR has not been brought before the court, it cannot decide on the bail applications moved by the accused persons.
The Delhi High Court recently transferred the probe into the deaths in the basement of the coaching centre building in Old Rajinder Nagar from police to the CBI “to ensure the public has no doubt over the investigation”.
Judge Chandna issued the notice to the CBI after being told by the public prosecutor that the process of transfer of case from the Delhi Police is yet not complete and the case has not been registered by the agency yet.
Meanwhile, the advocate appearing for the accused persons told the court that they did not try to evade the law rather had voluntarily gone to the police station to join the probe on July 28 after they got to know about the tragedy.
He further told the judge that the sections imposed on the four accused, “who are just the land owners and had given the property on lease to Rau’s IAS”, are of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and death by negligence “which are contradictory in nature”.
He further said that since the case has not been registered by the CBI yet, “an interim relief may be granted by the court”. (PTI)
