Delhi coaching centre deaths: No lapse by any senior civic official, CBI tells court

On July 27, 2024, heavy rains flooded the basement of Rau’s IAS Coaching Centre in Old Rajendra Nagar, where UPSC aspirants Nevin Dalvin, Tanya Soni, and Shreya Yadav drowned.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday informed a Delhi court that it did not find evidence to prosecute any senior civic official for criminal negligence or lapse for allowing a library to be run at the basement of Rau’s IAS Coaching Centre, where three students drowned in 2024.

Police at the site of the incident in the immediate aftermath. (HT Archive)

In a closure report filed before special judge Dinesh Bhatt of Rouse Avenue Courts on Wednesday, the agency submitted that it had investigated the role of two senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials, then deputy commissioner of Karol Bagh Zone, Kumar Abhishek, and then superintending engineer, Ajay Nagpal. The CBI said that both the officials were unaware of the misuse of the basement as they were not informed by their subordinate officers.

“A final report in the form of closure is being filed regarding court’s direction on the aspect of possible dereliction/corrupt practices by senior MCD officials. No evidence has come on record to prosecute any other official,” the CBI said in the report, a copy of which was accessed by HT.

The report stated that a joint engineer (JE) of MCD, Arnav Kumar Dutta, had already been chargesheeted in the case. “He despite knowing the fact that the basement was being used for the purpose of commercial activity deliberately did not report the same to his higher authorities, even after conducting inspection of the said premises multiple times,” the report read.

On July 27, 2024, heavy rains flooded the basement of Rau’s IAS Coaching Centre in Old Rajendra Nagar, where Nevin Dalvin, Tanya Soni, and Shreya Yadav, all UPSC aspirants, drowned. The basement was being illegally used as a library despite being sanctioned only for parking and storage.

The CBI said that it was Dutta’s actions which contributed to the continued and unauthorised use of the basement and amounted to improper discharge of duty and dereliction on his part. “Besides the role of Arnav Dutta, dereliction of duty and negligence were exhibited by an assistant and executive engineer of the MCD and internal departmental action has already been initiated against them,” the closure report read, adding that there was no cogent evidence to prosecute any other MCD official.

The court has listed the closure report for consideration on July 28.

J Dalvin Suresh, whose son Nevin was among the three victims, moved court in December 2025, seeking further probe, arguing that the agency had conducted an “unfair investigation” and ignored material evidence that could establish criminal liability of senior MCD officials. The protest application alleged that the CBI failed to probe how MCD officials sanctioned the building plan without the commissioner’s authorisation and issued an occupancy certificate despite the building owner’s death in March 2021.

In response, the agency maintained that its investigation had been thorough and all relevant evidence, including the culpability of public servants, had been adequately examined.

Petitioner J Dalvin was represented by advocate Abhijit Anand, while the building owners were represented by advocate Kaushal Kait.

While directing further probe, the court had observed that “it was very difficult to believe” that none of the supervisory officers was aware of the unauthorised use of the basement. Stating that while the CBI had named the JE of the Karol Bagh Zone as an accused, the court said that there could possibly be a “conscious effort by senior officials” to ignore the alleged violation.

An FIR in the case was lodged by the Delhi Police a day after the incident under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 290 (negligent conduct with respect to constructing buildings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Following public outrage, the Delhi High Court transferred the probe from Delhi Police to the CBI in August 2024, directing the central agency to independently investigate the cause of the deaths and any possible criminal negligence by government officers.

Seven individuals, including the coaching centre’s CEO and building co-owners, were arrested early in the investigation. The court took cognisance of the main charge sheet in December 2024.

In a supplementary charge sheet filed in March 2025, the CBI named three additional accused—one MCD official and two fire department officials—for alleged negligence in inspections, and charged them under Section 61 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The case is currently at the stage of arguments on charges.