‘Mercifully rainwater wasn’t fined’: Delhi HC slams SUV driver’s arrest

The Delhi High Court has come down heavily on the city police for arresting an SUV driver in connection with the drowning of three civil services aspirants at the basement of a coaching centre in Rajinder Nagar in Delhi. Taking a swipe at the Delhi Police, the high court remarked that it was fortunate the rainwater wasn’t fined for entering the basement during heavy rains.
“Mercifully, you have not challaned rainwater for entering into basement, the way you arrested the SUV driver for driving his car there,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said, adding, “Police respected when culprits booked, not when innocents caught.”
The high court also criticised the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) over the deaths of the UPSC aspirants, saying it was unable to fathom how the students could not come out. The court asked why MCD officials did not inform the commissioner about non-functioning storm water drains in the area.
“Unable to fathom how three UPSC aspirants got drowned; it has become norm and MCD officials not bothered,” said the high court.
Meanwhile, the court has transferred the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre deaths case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The SUv driver was arrested for his alleged role in the drowning of three students in the basement of the Rau’s coaching centre. Manuj Kathuria was accused of driving his Force Gurkha car through the street that was waterlogged after heavy rains, causing the water to swell, breach the gates of the the coaching centre and inundate the basement.
A court in Delhi on Thursday, August 1, granted bail to Manuj Kathuria, saying the accused was “implicated in over-enthusiasm” in the case.
“From the perusal of the record, it appears that the present applicant or accused (was) implicated in over-enthusiasm while he has been charged for the offence under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita which is non-bailable,” the court said.