SUV Driver Denied Bail In Delhi Coaching Centre Flooding Deaths, ‘Ignored Warnings,’ Said Court

A Delhi court on Wednesday denied bail to Manuj Kathuria, an SUV driver accused of causing the death of three students by driving through a flooded road near an IAS coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar.

The incident, which occurred on July 27, resulted in water breaching the building’s gates and flooding the basement where the students were present.

The court described the allegations against Kathuria as “serious in nature,” noting that CCTV footage revealed he was warned about the dangers by passers-by but ignored them.

The footage showed Kathuria driving at high speed on a heavily waterlogged road, displacing a significant amount of water that entered the basement, leading to the tragic deaths.

In addition to Kathuria, the court also rejected the bail pleas of the coaching centre’s four co-owners—Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjeet Singh. The court highlighted that the basement was being used for commercial purposes without proper authorization, violating building norms.

The lease agreement dated June 5, 2022, between the owners and the coaching institute indicated that the premises were used commercially, contravening the conditions set by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

On Sunday, a magisterial court had placed Abhishek Gupta, the owner of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, and coordinator Deshpal Singh in 14 days of judicial custody.

The victims, Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala, were civil service aspirants whose deaths have sparked widespread outrage.

The incident has raised serious concerns about the institute’s non-compliance with regulations and the authorities’ failure to enforce laws effectively.