The Supreme Court, today, Friday, September 20, directed a high-level committee appointed by the Union government to submit interim measures within four weeks aimed at preventing future incidents like the flooding incident in Delhi’s coaching centre which led to the death of three Civil Services aspirants in July.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed the governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi to report on any policy, legislative, or administrative changes implemented to avert similar tragedies, reported PTI.
The court also emphasised the need for uniform safety initiatives across the National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent another incident like that at Old Rajendra Nagar (ORN).
On July 27, three Civil Services aspirants — Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala — drowned in the basement library of Rau's IAS Study Circle when it flooded after heavy rain.
The Supreme Court had previously described coaching centres as "death chambers" and issued notices to the Centre and Delhi government regarding the situation.
The court was addressing a petition from an association of coaching centres that challenged a December 2023 Delhi High Court order requiring inspections of all coaching centres for compliance with fire safety norms. The Supreme Court dismissed the association's appeal, deeming it frivolous, and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh, reiterating that no coaching centre should operate without adhering to safety regulations.
The high court transferred the investigation into the deaths from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure public confidence in the inquiry.
