The Delhi High Court will hear a plea today(31st July) for a high-level committee to investigate the Rajendra Nagar incident that claimed the lives of three UPSC aspirants. Advocate Rudra Singh presented the plea to a bench led by acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear a plea today (31st July) that calls for the establishment of a high-level committee to investigate the tragic incident in Rajendra Nagar which resulted in the deaths of three UPSC aspirants. Advocate Rudra Vikram Singh brought this plea before a bench comprising acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The victims, Shreya Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala, lost their lives after the basement of a building housing their coaching institute was flooded following heavy rainfall on July 27. The flooding led to a catastrophic situation in which the students were trapped.
On July 28, police arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre, Rau’s IAS Study Circle. They face serious charges, including culpable homicide. According to the police investigation, two main factors contributed to this tragic incident: the failure of civic authorities to clear the roadside drain before the monsoon and the lack of proper drainage provisions in the basement where a library was operating illegally.
The Delhi Police have formed multiple teams to delve into the actual cause of the mishap. Their initial findings reveal that more than 35 individuals, including students and staff of the coaching centre, were trapped on July 28 when water inundated the basement due to heavy rains.
An MCD official’s report highlighted a critical breach of regulations:
“The building completion certificate for the institute explicitly states that the basement is designated solely for parking and storage. Despite this, the library was operating illegally in the basement,”
– the official said.
In response to the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a committee on July 29 to investigate the matter thoroughly. The committee’s mandate includes identifying the causes of the incident, fixing responsibility, suggesting preventive measures, and recommending policy changes to avert such tragedies in the future.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena announced a compensation of Rs.10 lakh each for the families of the three deceased UPSC aspirants. This gesture aims to provide some relief to the grieving families who lost their loved ones in this avoidable disaster.
