The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up authorities over the deaths of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching centre, saying that a strange probe is going on where police action against a passerby who drove the car but “not against MCD officials”.
The Delhi HC has directed the MCD Commissioner, the DCP, and the investigating officer to appear in court on Friday. Additionally, the Court has instructed authorities to clear all encroachments from the Rajinder Nagar area drains by the same day.
Delhi HC further noted that such tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a “freebies culture”.
The court said multi-storey buildings were being allowed to operate, but there was no proper drainage.
“You want to have freebies culture, don't want to collect taxes... this is bound to happen,” the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said.
Taking a swipe at authorities, the court said they need to build infrastructure but are bankrupt and can't even pay salaries. The court was hearing a plea seeking a high-level committee to investigate the deaths of three civil service aspirants in the basement of a flooded coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar on the evening of July 27.
The petition, filed by the NGO Kutumb through trustee Jitender Singh and represented by advocate Rudhra Vikram Singh, seeks two main actions. First, it requests an investigation into the officers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi who allegedly did not act on a complaint received on June 26. Second, it calls for the establishment of a district-level committee in each district of Delhi to investigate and address issues related to illegal commercial constructions.
“Submit an action taken report concerning the Mukherjee Nagar incident as previously ordered by the court. Formation of a committee to investigate coaching institutes operating illegally or not adhering to standard norms,” the plea demands.
The recent events highlight ongoing safety concerns in Delhi. On July 28, another PIL was filed urging the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to implement immediate measures to prevent future incidents. This plea aims to address issues such as waterlogging and enhance safety conditions across the city.
The petition underscores the urgency of addressing safety lapses by recalling past incidents, such as the devastating fire at a coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar last year. The fire forced panic-stricken students to leap from windows or rappel down the building with ropes to escape.
In response to similar concerns, the Delhi High Court had previously directed the MCD and Delhi Development Authority to shut down any coaching centers operating in violation of fire safety regulations.
The three who died were Shreya Yadav (25) of Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala.
(With inputs from agencies)
