Delhi Coaching Centre Incident: Court Sends 5 Accused to Judicial Custody

Five accused in connection with an incident where three civil service aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching center have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by Delhi’s Tis Hazari court.

The five accused individuals-Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh, the co-owners of the coaching center’s basement in Rajinder Nagar, and Manuj Kathuria, the driver of a car were produced in court.

Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar ordered their judicial custody until August 12, 2024.

Their bail pleas will be heard today. Kathuria, the driver of an SUV that drove through a street flooded by rainwater, causing the water to breach the gates of the three-story building and inundate the basement, was among those produced in court.

Kathuria’s counsel argued that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail. However, the court asked the counsel to file written submissions for bail on Tuesday.

The counsel for the four co-owners of the coaching center contended that leasing a building does not fix any liability for the alleged criminal offenses, including causing death by negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The court also asked their lawyer to file written submissions.

Three students died after the basement of the building housing a coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar was flooded following rains. The Delhi Police arrested the owner and coordinator of the coaching centre in connection with the incident and booked them for culpable homicide among other charges.