Delhi HC Grants Bail To 4 Co-Owners Of Coaching Centre Where 3 Lives Were Lost Due To Flooding

The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim bail to four co-owners of the coaching centre basement in Old Rajinder Nagar, where three IAS aspirants tragically drowned, extending it till January 30.

A bench led by Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma ordered the co-owners to deposit ₹5 crore to the Red Cross, noting that they had "committed an act of greed by letting out the basement."

Furthermore, the court directed the lieutenant governor to form a committee, led by a retired high court judge, to ensure no coaching centre operates without proper sanction. The committee is also tasked with identifying designated areas where such centres should run.

The incident, which took place on July 27 after heavy rains caused the basement of the Rau's IAS Study Circle to flood, claimed the lives of Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala.

The basement's co-owners-Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarbjit Singh-argued for bail, claiming they were merely landlords renting the space to the coaching centre and had no involvement in the tragedy.

However, the CBI opposed their bail, arguing the investigation was still in its early stages and that "the four of them should not be granted relief until independent witnesses are examined."

During the hearing, Justice Sharma also raised questions about the cause of the flooding, asking, "What was the reason on that day? Delhi has witnessed heavy downpours. Why so much waterlogging on that day? Was it the rain or something else?"