CBI clears two MCD officials in coaching centre deaths case
The Central Bureau of Investigation said two senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials were not shown to have criminally neglected the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching-centre flood deaths case.
- Three civil services aspirants died after a flooded basement at Rau’s IAS Study Circle was inundated during heavy rain in July 2024.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a supplementary final report in the case and said there was no evidence to prosecute two senior MCD officials for criminal negligence.
- The Delhi High Court transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
- The then Deputy Commissioner of the Karol Bagh Zone and the then Superintending Engineer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi were not shown to have known about the unauthorised commercial use of the basement or to have suppressed information.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a supplementary final report saying there is no evidence to prosecute two senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials for criminal negligence in the deaths of three civil services aspirants at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. The matter is important for UPSC because it sits at the intersection of urban governance, municipal accountability, disaster risk and the legal threshold for criminal negligence.
The deaths occurred in July 2024 when the basement of the coaching institute, used as a library and examination hall, was flooded during heavy rain. The Delhi High Court transferred the case to the CBI and sought an examination of whether senior civic officials were responsible for administrative lapses.
What the CBI said
UPSC may ask how administrative lapses are distinguished from criminal negligence, and how municipal bodies are held accountable for illegal land use, unsafe basements, and urban flooding risks.
