Delhi High Court to Investigate Rajendra Nagar Incident Where Three Students Died

The Delhi High Court is preparing to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that seeks the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the tragic incident in Rajendra Nagar, where three civil service aspirants lost their lives due to flooding.

The matter was brought before the bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela by Advocate Rudra Vikram Singh. The bench noted the submissions and stated that if the required papers are in order, the matter will be heard tomorrow.

The petition, filed by NGO Kutumb through its trustee Jitender Singh, also calls for an investigation into the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officers who allegedly failed to act on a complaint received on June 26. The plea seeks the formation of district-level committees in each district of Delhi to investigate and address illegal commercial constructions.

The plea further demands an action taken report concerning a previous incident in Mukherjee Nagar and the formation of a committee to investigate coaching institutes operating illegally or not adhering to standard norms.

The petition highlights systemic issues in regulatory enforcement and aims to ensure accountability in cases of illegal construction and non-compliance by educational institutions. It also mentions that due to corruption in the departments of the respondents, many lives have been lost, and the national capital has faced numerous terrible incidents in recent years.

In a recent incident at a coaching institute in Rajendra Nagar, three young civil servant aspirants lost their lives, and many others are struggling between life and death due to the negligence of the respondents. The plea emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident, as many such unfortunate events have occurred in Delhi over the past few years without preventive measures being taken.

On July 28, another PIL was filed seeking directions for the MCD to implement immediate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The court's intervention aims to address and mitigate issues related to waterlogging and improve safety conditions.

Last year, a devastating fire at a coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar forced students to leap out of windows and rappel down the building to escape. In May, the Delhi High Court ordered the MCD and Delhi Development Authority to shut down any coaching center operating in violation of fire safety norms.

The court emphasized the necessity of student safety and mandated that all coaching centers adhere to the statutory requirements of the Delhi Master Plan 2021 and other relevant regulations or face closure.

Officials reported that three civil service aspirants died after the basement of a coaching center in Old Rajendra Nagar was flooded following heavy rainfall. The Delhi Fire Department received a call from Rau's IAS Study Circle about the flooded basement at around 7 pm on Saturday.