Delhi HC Transfers Drowning Probe to CBI

The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the drowning of three civil services aspirants in Rajinder Nagar. The court criticized local authorities for their negligence, emphasizing the need for accountability in the tragic incident.

The Delhi High Court on Friday transferred the investigation into the drowning of three civil services aspirants at the basement of a coaching center in Rajinder Nagar to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan instructed the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to appoint a senior officer to oversee the CBI's probe into the criminal case. The court criticized the police and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) over the incident, expressing disbelief at how the students could not escape.

The court questioned why MCD officials failed to inform the commissioner about the non-functioning stormwater drains in the area.

The bench, including Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said MCD officials showed a lack of concern, suggesting such negligence has become common practice.

Criticizing the police, the high court remarked, ''Mercifully, you have not challaned rainwater for entering into the basement, the same way you arrested the SUV driver for driving his car there.'' Manuj Kathuria was accused of driving his SUV through a rain-flooded street on July 27, causing the water to breach the gates of the building that housed the coaching center, leading to the tragic drowning of the three students.