A Rouse Avenue Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to further probe alleged negligence and corruption by Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials after a protest petition by Suresh Delvin over his son Nevin’s death in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle.
NEW DELHI: The Rouse Avenue Court instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to delve deeper into allegations of neglect and corrupt practices involving MCD officials. This order emerged from a protest petition filed by Suresh Delvin, the father of IAS aspirant Nevin Delvin, who tragically drowned in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Rajender Nagar in July 2024.
While issuing this directive, the CBI judge noted that in August 2024, the High Court had already tasked the CBI with investigating potential criminal negligence, dereliction of duties, and corrupt activities by any individual, including local authority officials.
Principal District and Sessions Judge (PDSJ) Dinesh Bhat authorized the further investigation at a hearing on Thursday, in response to the application submitted by Suresh Delvin. Nevin Delvin, along with two other students, is believed to have lost their lives on July 27, 2024, when water flooded the basement library of the coaching center.
Bhat stated,
“Investigation Officer (IO) is therefore directed to carry out further investigation in the matter regarding the issue of probable dereliction of duties/corrupt practices by the officials of the MCD which have led to the institute having continued in its illegal use of the basement, thereby being instrumental in loss of lives of innocent citizens and to file report as per law,”
The court observed that the High Court, in its August 2, 2024, order, had specifically mandated the CBI to conduct a comprehensive investigation, covering not only criminal negligence but also dereliction of duties and corrupt practices by any involved party.
The court emphasized that three young lives were lost, likely due to negligence, greed, or failure to fulfill responsibilities.
The court noted in its ruling,
“In terms of the directions, the IO was duty-bound to investigate the issue of criminal negligence, as well as dereliction of duties, and corrupt practices. But the IO has not investigated from the perspective of dereliction of duties by the concerned officials in regard to the usage of the said building as a coaching centre in the basement,”
It further asserted that simply attributing the failure to the lowest-ranking official was inadequate; supervising officers also had the responsibility to ensure that necessary compliance was being enforced on-site and that their subordinates were providing accurate and complete reports following actual inspections.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet on September 26, 2024, followed by a supplementary charge sheet on April 24, 2025. However, Suresh Delvin claimed that the IO had not conducted a thorough and impartial investigation.
Advocate Abhijeet Anand, representing Delvin, argued that it was acknowledged that the building’s height exceeded 15 meters, a fact noted by BSES during an inspection. Yet, the building’s owners had obtained sanction through misrepresentation.
The occupancy and completion certificate, signed by Executive Engineer Kumar Mahendra, was issued on August 9, 2021. The sanction, granted on May 13, 2019, was allegedly secured under false pretenses and following a flawed inspection by MCD officials. This case revolves around the tragic flooding incident at Rau’s IAS Study Circle on July 27, 2024, which resulted in the drowning of three IAS aspirants.
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