Delhi coaching centre deaths: PIL in HC seeks high-level committee probe

New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in Delhi High Court, seeking the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the Rajendra Nagar incident in which three people lost their lives.

The plea also sought directions for an investigation into the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officers who allegedly failed to act on a complaint received on June 26, 2024.

The petitioner is Kutumb, an NGO through its trustee, Jitender Singh, represented by advocate Rudhra Vikram Singh. The plea also sought direction to constitute district-level committees in each district of Delhi to investigate and address illegal commercial construction.

“Submit an action-taken report concerning the Mukherjee Nagar incident as previously ordered by the court. Formation of a committee to investigate coaching institutes operating illegally or not adhering to standard norms,” the plea stated.

According to the plea, the prayers collectively aim to address systemic issues in regulatory enforcement and ensure accountability in cases of illegal construction and non-compliance by educational institutions.

The plea further submitted that due to the huge corruption involved in the departments of the respondents, many people have lost their lives over the years and Delhi has faced many terrible and scary incidents in the past few years.

In a recent incident that happened in a coaching institute situated in Rajendra Nagar, New Delhi, three young UPSC aspirants lost their lives and many others are struggling between life and death due to the negligence of the respondents.

Unfortunately, this was not the first incident in the national capital but many such unfortunate events have taken place in Delhi in the past few years. The respondents have never taken any preventive measures to avoid such scary incidents, the plea said.

On July 28, a PIL was moved for the directions to 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.

The plea stated that last year, a devastating fire engulfed a coaching institute in northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, compelling the panic-stricken students to leap out of windows in a desperate bid to escape the inferno. Numerous students also resorted to rappelling down the building using ropes as a last-ditch effort to save their lives.

In May, the Delhi High Court ordered the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Development Authority to immediately shut down any coaching centre found to be operating in contravention of the prescribed fire safety norms. The court’s pronouncement came in the wake of several petitions concerning the functioning of coaching centres in the area, including in a case that the high court had initiated on its own after taking note of a fire at one such institution in June 2023.

The high court had previously emphasised that the safety of students was an absolute necessity and that all coaching centres must either adhere to the statutory requirements mandated by Delhi Master Plan 2021 and other relevant regulations or face imminent closure, the plea mentioned.

Three students died after the basement of the building housing a coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar was flooded following rains. The Delhi Police arrested the owner and coordinator of the coaching centre in connection with the incident and booked them of culpable homicide among other charges.