UPSC aspirants' death: Tis Hazari court sends five accused to judicial custody for two weeks

Delhi's Tis Hazari Court on Monday sent five accused persons to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the drowning of three UPSC aspirants in the basement of Rau's IAS coaching center in the national capital..Three students had lost their lives after being trapped inside the library in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle, which flooded due to rain after the single biometric entry and exit point failed because of flood water.According to eyewitnesses, the basement filled with 10-12 feet of water almost immediately, leaving students no chance to escape. Rescue operations began shortly after the incident was reported.The police later arrested seven persons. Two were sent to judicial custody on Sunday.Five others were produced before the judge Vinod Kumar today.Four of the accused are co-owners of Rau's coaching centre while one is the driver of a car which had passed by along the street.The driver was arrested on the ground that he drove through the flooded road causing the water to swell and break down a gate of the coaching centre and flood the institute's basement. After hearing the counsel for the parties, the court remanded all five to 14 days of judicial custody.Their bail pleas will be heard on Tuesday. .The counsel representing the arrested driver argued that the road was not closed, and the accused was driving along the center of the road. He further stated that the traffic inspector, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and PWD officials have not been arrested and only common man have been detained to appease the media and create an impression of action. The counsel emphasized that there was no prohibition to drive on the road, the water level was only 2.5 feet high and the vehicle's speed was only 15 kilometer per hour..The counsel representing the other four accused argued that the essentials of Section 102 (culpable homicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhit (BNS) were not fulfilled in the present case.Further, it was argued that the responsibility for ensuring the safety of the children was on the lessee (coaching owner), who had already been arrested. Additionally, the counsel highlighted that none of the actual culprits from the civic agencies have been taken into custody.Advocates Rakesh Malhotra and Kushal Malhotra appeared for car driver Manuj Kathuria.