IAS aspirants drowning case: Delhi High Court sets aside rider on coaching centre to deposit Rs 2.5 crore

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday set aside a trial court direction to Rau's IAS Study Circle CEO Abhishek Gupta to deposit Rs 2.5 crore at the time of interim bail in a case of drowning deaths of three students which occurred at the centre's flooded basement in July last year.

Justice Vikas Mahajan clarified the issue of bail would be decided by the trial court on its own merit.

The senior counsel appearing for the accused argued the condition to deposit Rs 2.5 crore should be set aside as a similar direction given to the co-accused to deposit Rs 5 crore with the Red Cross was rejected by the Supreme Court in an appeal.

"Having regard to the circumstances and the decision of the Supreme Court .. the condition...of the impugned order dated September 23, 2024 to the extent that the petitioner was directed to deposit Rs 2.5 crore, is set aside," ordered the court.

The CBI counsel said all the contentions of the agency in the matter should be kept open.

The court was also informed by Gupta's counsel that the interim bail granted to the other co-accused, i.e., the owners of the basement, was confirmed by the high court with a direction to them to deposit Rs 5 lakh with the DSLSA as a voluntary contribution.

The counsel representing the kin of one of the students who died requested time to file a reply and said he challenged the interim bail order in the high court.

The court, however, said sufficient time was given to him to place his stand on record.

"Whatever Supreme Court has said, I will say the same thing and send it back to the trial court. You can't take the ground that you were busy in high profile matters," the court said.

Three civil service aspirants Shreya Yadav, 25, of Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni, 25, from Telangana and Nevin Delvin, 24, from Kerala died after the basement of the building housing Rau's IAS Study Circle was flooded following heavy rains in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27, 2024.

On September 23 last year, the trial court granted interim bail to Gupta and coaching coordinator Deshpal Singh in the case.

Principal district and sessions judge Anju Bajaj Chandna granted the relief to the accused persons on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with two sureties of the like amount, and directed Gupta to deposit Rs 2.5 crore till November 30 with the Red Cross Society.