Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths: Top Court Seeks Response From Centre And Delhi Government On Safety Measures
On Monday, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the issue regarding safety norms in coaching institutes across the country after three UPSC aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre in New Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar.
Expressing concern over the death of three young UPSC aspirants, the apex court directed the central and Delhi governments to list safety regulations prescribed so far for coaching institutes.
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A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan sought a response from the Central, the state government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on the effective mechanism introduced to ensure the norms are complied by institutes.
The apex court also heard a similar petition filed by Coaching Federation of India against the Delhi High Court’s 2023. The order directed the state government and the MCD to shut down Delhi’s coaching centres operating without a valid No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department after the incident.
“Safety norms require proper ventilation, safety passage, air and light, fire safety norms and such other requirements prescribed under law,” observed the bench. Calling such institutions which openly flout safety norms “death chambers,” the court stated that unless they fully comply with “basic norms for a dignified life,” the institutions can operate online.
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On Friday, the Delhi High Court transferred the case to the CBI.
Three UPSC aspirants, identified as Tania Soni (25), Navin Delvin (28), and Shreya Yadav (25), were killed after a library housed in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle flooded with rainwater. The tragic deaths have triggered student protests in the city, demanding for accountability. The institution had its building plan approved by the MCD in 2021, wherein it was clearly specified that the basement was suitable only for parking and storage purposes, as per PTI.
