Delhi High Court on Friday transferred the probe regarding the deaths of three civil services aspirants at Rau's IAS Study Circle in Rajender Nagar incident to the CBI.
The court directed the central vigilance commissioner to appoint an officer to monitor the CBI probe.
With regard to the nature of the incident and to ensure that the public has no doubt with respect to the investigation, this court transfers the probe to the CBI, the high court said.
"Since central vigilance commissioner exercises supervisory power, this court directs the commissioner to appoint a member to supervise the probe,” the court order added.
HC in its order noted that the drains in Delhi are not even adequate but also poorly maintained and recent tragedies prove that its orders to the civic agencies are not being followed. HC also ordered authorities for the removal of encroachments, unauthorised constructions, including on drains in Rajinder Nagar.
Slamming the police and the MCD officials HC said it was unable to fathom how the students could not come out.
#WATCH | Delhi HC transfers the investigation into the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in Rajinder Nagar to CBI.
— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2024
An aspirant in the area says, "Students had been demanding since the incident that the proper facts be brought before the students. But administration has neither… pic.twitter.com/IczFO9wvxS
The bench asked why MCD officials did not inform the commissioner about non-functioning stormwater drains in the area.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said MCD officials are not bothered and it has become a norm.
Taking a jibe at the police, the court said, "Mercifully, you have not challaned rainwater for entering into the basement, the way you arrested the SUV driver for driving his car there."
Manuj Kathuria was accused of driving his SUV through a street that was flooded by rainwater on July 27. Police alleged that his car caused the water to swell and inundate the basement of the coaching centre, where the IAS aspirants were killed.
Students protest enters the sixth day
The IAS aspirants protesting the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre deaths continued their agitation for the sixth day on Friday.
"We will continue our protest but studies are also important for us. So those sitting at the protest site have brought their study material here," said a civil service aspirant.
A 15-member committee was formed by the protesting students on Wednesday to decide the future course of action.
Three students, identified as Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni and Nevin Dalvin, died after rain water gushed inside the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 evening.
