The Delhi High Court has extended the interim bail of four co-owners in the RAU’s IAS Study Circle case until January 21, 2025. The Supreme Court has stayed the requirement for the accused to deposit funds with the Red Cross Society. This case revolves around the deaths of three UPSC aspirants and raises concerns about unauthorized basement coaching centers in Delhi.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court, on Friday, extended the interim bail of four basement co-owners—Sarabjit Singh, Parvinder Singh, Tejinder Singh, and Harvinder Singh—accused in the tragic RAU’s IAS Study Circle case of Old Rajinder Nagar. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma granted the extension until January 21, 2025, providing temporary relief to the accused.
The Supreme Court has stayed the earlier condition imposed by the High Court, which required the accused to deposit Rs 2.5 crores with the Red Cross Society. This condition was initially set by the High Court on September 13, 2024, when interim bail was granted to the accused. Similarly, the condition for CEO Abhishek Gupta to deposit Rs 5 crores with the Red Cross Society has also been stayed.
The case revolves around the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar, which brought into focus the unauthorized use of basements as coaching institutes.
- The Rouse Avenue Court had earlier granted interim bail on September 23, 2024, to RAU’s IAS Study Circle CEO Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh.
- The High Court had also emphasized accountability, stating that the liability of the basement co-owners arose from their illegal act of permitting the basement to be used as a coaching center.
Justice D.K. Sharma had previously directed the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi to establish a committee. This committee, under the supervision of a retired High Court judge, is tasked with ensuring that coaching centers operating in basements without proper sanctions are identified and regulated across Delhi.
The Delhi High Court had instructed the CBI to submit a status report, addressing key issues such as waterlogging in the area and rainfall data from the day of the incident, which were significant factors in the deaths of the aspirants.
The trial court, which had earlier denied bail to the co-owners, maintained that their actions were linked to the illegal use of the basement, leading to the tragedy. The case is now scheduled for a hearing in the trial court on December 7, 2024, with further High Court hearings set for January 21, 2025.
The High Court directed Advocate Abhijit Anand, representing complainant Dalvin Suresh, to file his reply to the applications filed by the accused. The extended legal deliberations underscore the complexity of the case and its implications for Delhi’s regulatory framework for coaching institutes.
The ongoing proceedings in the RAU’s IAS Study Circle case have sparked debates over the safety standards of coaching centers and the regulatory lapses in Delhi. As the High Court continues to scrutinize the matter, the decisions in this high-profile case are likely to set a precedent for similar cases across the capital.
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