In the tragic incident at RAU’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, where three students lost their lives due to a sudden inundation, the four co-owners arrested have now approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail. This move comes after their bail petitions were previously rejected by the Rouse Avenue Court on August 23.
The accused, Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjit Singh, challenged the lower court’s decision, escalating the matter to the High Court. During the bail hearings at the Rouse Avenue Court, the defense counsel argued that the decision should be based on the merits of the case rather than emotions. They contended that the non-action by agencies also constitutes part of the crime and pointed out the inaction of the Delhi Municipal Corporation officials who, according to them, were aware of the issues but failed to act.
The Delhi High Court had previously directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation of this case on August 2. Following this, the Tis Hazari Sessions Court instructed that the bail petitions should be filed with the CBI court, as the matter had been transferred to them. Notably, one other accused, Thar driver Manuj Kathuria, had already been granted bail by the Sessions Court.
Delhi Police had arrested the four co-owners and the Thar driver on July 29, a day after arresting the coaching owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh, bringing the total number of arrests to seven in this case. Except for the driver, all the accused are currently in judicial custody.
Furthermore, Delhi Police have also filed charges against building management, municipal employees responsible for maintenance, and other involved parties under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including unintentional homicide. It’s noteworthy that RAU’s IAS Study Circle’s basement, where the tragedy occurred, houses a library used by students preparing for UPSC exams, where the three students tragically died during a sudden water ingress.
