Delhi coaching centre deaths: Court grants bail to SUV driver after police drop serious charge

The SUV driver who was arrested in connection to the coaching centre deaths in the Indian capitalhas been granted bail.District Judge Rajesh Kumar Goel granted bail to Manoj Kathuria, a day after the judicial magistrate denied the same.

Three civil service aspirants died in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar last week after the basement that illegally doubled up as a libraryof Rau’s IAS Study Circle was flooded with rainwater.

Kathuria was accused of forcing a water wave that breached the entrance of the coaching centre which led to the flooding. He was driving his Force Gurkha through the waterlogged road when the incident took place.

"The blame of state wide infrastructural breakdown is being put on a single individual," Kathuria argued in his petition.

During the hearing, the Delhi Police said it had decided to withdraw the more serious charge(section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita or BNS)of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Kathuria.

"The police itself has admitted in its written reply that in the investigation so far, a case of culpable homicide under Section 105 of BNS (culpable homicide) does not stand against the SUV driver. The rest of the sections under which Manuj Kathuria has been made an accused are all bailable sections," the court said.

Earlier, the Delhi High Courthad pulled the police for its "strange probe" after they arrested the driver of the SUV and not any official of the civic body - MunicipalCorporation of Delhi (MCD).

Watch |Delhi coaching centre deaths: Video shows moments when students were trapped

According to reports, the coaching institute violated a number of building permissions that led to the flooding. A no-objection certificate issued by the fire department showed that the basement was to beused for storage but instead, it was being used as a library.

On Sunday (Jul 28), as many as 13 civil services coaching centres in the area that were illegally running operations in their basements were sealed by the MCD.

Expert probe committee formed

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday (Jul 29) constitute a panel to probe the drowning of the students while fixingthe responsibility, suggesting measures and recommending policy changes.

"The committee will have Additional Secretary, MoUHA, Principal Secretary (Home), Delhi Govt, Special CP, Delhi Police, Fire Adviser and JS, MHA as Convener," MHA said.

The committee will have to submit its final report in 30 days.

(With inputs from agencies)