Can't endlessly probe officials in Delhi coaching centre flood deaths case: CBI to HC

The CBI told the Delhi court that its probe into the role of senior MCD officials was complete and that no evidence warranted prosecuting additional officials

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday told a Delhi court that it could not go on “endlessly investigating” the role of every civic official in connection with allowing an illegal basement at Rau’s IAS coaching centre’s building in Old Rajinder Nagar, where three students drowned in 2024 during rain-induced flooding.

Rau’s IAS coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar where three UPSC aspirants drowned after rainwater flooded the premises in July 2024 (HT Archive)

The agency made the submissions before principal district and sessions judge Dinesh Bhatt of Rouse Avenue Courts while hearing a petition filed by J Dalvin Suresh, whose son, Nevin Dalvin, was among the three victims.

Suresh was opposing a closure report filed by the CBI on July 8, which concluded that the agency found no evidence to prosecute any senior civic official for criminal negligence or lapse regarding the drowning and subsequent deaths.

During the proceedings, special public prosecutor Prashant Kumar Sharma submitted, “Despite further investigation into the alleged role of any senior civic official, no concrete evidence has come to forth. We have already identified every person responsible for the lapse, and we cannot go on prosecuting everyone”.

On July 27, 2024, heavy rains flooded the basement of the building, 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.

CBI says no concrete evidence against senior MCD officials

In its closure report, first reported by HT, the agency said it investigated the role of two senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials: Kumar Abhishek, then deputy commissioner of Karol Bagh Zone, and Ajay Nagpal, then superintending engineer. The CBI further said that both officials were unaware of the misuse of the basement because their subordinate officers did not inform them.

“A final report in the form of closure is being filed regarding the 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 had stated.

Agency says subordinate officials were held responsible for basement misuse

The agency said Joint Engineer (JE) of MCD, Arnav Kumar Dutta, had already been named in its chargesheet as responsible for dereliction of duty, while an internal enquiry had already been initiated against two other officials, including an assistant and executive engineer of MCD, for an alleged lapse.

The closure report was submitted in response to Suresh’s plea, through advocate Abhijit Anand, arguing that the agency had conducted an “unfair investigation” and ignored material evidence that could establish criminal liability of senior MCD officials.

alleges senior officials were shielded

The plea 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 was thorough and that it had adequately examined all relevant evidence, including the culpability of public servants.

Through another petition, Suresh opposed the closure report, stating that despite the court’s directions to identify and investigate higher government officials responsible for the incident, the agency had not fairly and adequately probed their alleged roles and “deliberately shielded such officials.

The court has fixed the next hearing date for September 19 to consider the closure report.