A Delhi court is likely to announce its order on August 23 on the bail pleas of the four owners of a basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar. Three civil services aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar last month after rainwater flooded the basement, court sources said.
The court reserved the order on Saturday after hearing arguments from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the four accused. — Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh.
The accused’s lawyer told the court that the incident was an “act of God” and could have been prevented if the authorities had performed their duties well. He said the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle was not a library, as reported, but a waiting area for students.
He said the Delhi Fire Service inspected the accident site a few days before the incident on July 27 and according to their report, the basement was being used as a storage room.
He said his clients never intended to commit the murder and therefore it was unfair to invoke the rule that intentional killing is not considered murder. He also stressed that his clients had always cooperated with the investigation.
The CBI stated in its submissions that the basement was not intended for educational purposes.
“It was used as a library and the accused knew about it,” said the CBI lawyer.
The Delhi High Court had transferred the investigation of the case from the city police to the CBI “to ensure that no doubt arises in the mind of the public about the outcome of the investigation”.
