The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide a status report concerning the preservation of crucial CCTV footage and satellite imagery related to the tragic drowning of three civil service aspirants. This incident occurred due to the flooding of a basement at a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27. The court has scheduled the next hearing for January 15.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma is overseeing the case following a plea by J Dalvin Suresh, who lost his son Nevin in the flooding. Suresh’s petition emphasizes the urgency of securing and maintaining visual evidence from the day of the incident, captured by cameras within and surrounding the Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching center, along with satellite and Google images.
During the hearing, the CBI’s counsel assured the court that the footage relevant to the incident has been preserved. However, the plea also seeks guarantees that this evidence remains safeguarded and is properly handed over to the investigators.
The tragedy claimed the lives of Shreya Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Delvin from Kerala, all young aspirants preparing for India’s civil services examination. Following the incident, widespread calls for accountability led to the case being transferred from the Delhi Police to the CBI on August 2. This move was part of an effort to maintain public trust in the investigative process.
Subsequent legal developments saw the granting of interim bail to four co-owners of the building’s basement and key staff from the coaching center, including CEO Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh, by the high court and a trial court, respectively.
