Delhi Court Grants Bail To SUV Driver In IAS Coaching Centre Flooding Case

Bail was granted by a Delhi Court to Manoj Kathuria on Thursday, an SUV driver and businessman, who had been arrested in connection with the tragic drowning of three civil services aspirants in the basement of an IAS coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi.

Kathuria had been previously denied bail by a judicial magistrate.

Details of the Incident

The deaths occurred when the basement of Rau's IAS coaching centre was inundated with rainwater. Kathuria is accused of causing a water wave that breached the entrance of the coaching centre, leading to the flooding. He was driving his SUV on a waterlogged road in front of the centre at the time.

Legal Proceedings

In the status report filed today, the Delhi Police stated that Section 105 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code is not being invoked against Kathuria at this stage. The only charge against him currently is Section 281 (Rash driving or riding in a public way), as reported by Live Law.

Four co-owners of the basement, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Tajinder Singh, were also arrested and denied bail by the judicial magistrate.

Here Are The Related Developments:

In a related development, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was heard by the Delhi High Court, which demanded a High Powered Committee to investigate the flooding incident. The court criticized the Delhi government's "freebie" policies, suggesting that inadequate infrastructure upgrades, particularly to the city's drainage system, were a result of these policies, as per media reports.

ACJ Manmohan questioned the Delhi Police's actions, expressing concerns about their focus on the SUV driver instead of those responsible for maintaining the drainage system.

Compensation and Future Hearings

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakhs for the families of the deceased aspirants, as per media reports. He has also assured that action will be taken against officials of the Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) within 24 hours. The matter will be further heard by the ACJ tomorrow at 2:30 PM.