Delhi High Court to Hear Plea Of RAU IAS CEO Abhishek Gupta On Bail Conditions

RAU IAS CEO Abhishek Gupta

The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing on Thursday regarding a plea filed by Abhishek Gupta, CEO of RAU IAS Study Circle, to waive the financial condition of Rs. 2.5 crores imposed on his interim bail.

Gupta was granted interim bail on September 23, 2024, in connection with the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded basement in Old Rajinder Nagar. As part of the bail, the court had mandated that Rs. 2.5 crores be deposited with the Red Cross.

Justice Vikas Mahajan listed the matter for Thursday, as the complainant’s counsel was unavailable due to commitments in the Supreme Court.

Gupta’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court had already stayed the condition, and noted that the four other co-accused, who are also co-owners of the basement, had been granted regular bail by the High Court.

On January 21, 2025, Justice Sanjeev Narula’s bench confirmed the interim bail of the four co-owners as regular bail. Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh had initially been granted interim bail by the trial court, and the bail had been extended on multiple occasions. The case is scheduled for a hearing in the trial court on January 31, 2025.

On December 7, 2024, Gupta’s counsel informed the trial court that the Rs. 2.5 crore financial condition had been challenged in the High Court. The Delhi High Court had previously extended the interim bail for the four co-owners until January 21, 2025, and the Supreme Court had stayed the requirement for them to deposit the amount with the Red Cross.

In a related development, Justice DK Sharma’s bench had urged the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi to form a committee, supervised by a retired High Court judge, to ensure no coaching centers operate in basements without proper authorization.

The bench also directed the four co-owners of the basement to deposit Rs. 5 crore with the Red Cross Society as part of the proceedings.

Furthermore, the Delhi High Court had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report on the primary causes of waterlogging in the area, along with rainfall data from the day of the incident.

Earlier, the trial court had denied bail to the four co-owners, highlighting their liability stemming from the illegal use of the basement for coaching classes.