The recent Delhi Police attitude towards the mishap at a coaching institute where three civil services aspirants drowned has not been spared from the wrath of the Delhi High Court’s tongue-lashing.
The court has now referred the matter to the CBI, thus implying that some senior official’s complicity may be considered.
The court went on to point out how cops randomly arrested the driver of the SUV for merely crossing through it and added that the cops had not gone to the extent of ‘challenging the rainwater flowing in the drain’ for the occurrence.
The judges also pointed out that the police have to deserve it by arresting the actual criminals and shielding the innocent. The threat of a situation where the guilty will go free while the innocent is arrested was stated as an injustice.
In their defense, Delhi Police pointed at media reports for the erstwhile impression. However, the court proceeded to state that they must give a clear and specific account of the facts in the case, that it would be unacceptable otherwise, and that it seems like a ‘brother club’.
The court also queried the official from the civic authorities, asking why the commissioner was not informed about the non-functioning stormwater drains in the area. The official stated that doing so has “become the norm,” and MCD is not concerned about it.
The incident happened when Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar basement was flooded, for which Shreya Yadav and Tanya Soni Nevin Delvin, who were the aspirants for civil services, lost their lives.
The cause of the accident has been identified as a poor drainage system, a lack of safety measures in the building’s construction and design, and unlawful business use of the basement.
It has been considered a special judgment of the Delhi High Court and its decision to transfer the case to the CBI, as there had been hopes of objectivity in the incidence and justice for the said victims, besides eradicating such acts in the future.
