The Supreme Court of India lately took suo motu cognisance of the matter concerning the death of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the basement of a renowned coaching centre at Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi. The three aspirants lost their lives after rainwater gushed inside the illegally operated basement of the coaching centre. The Apex Court has sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi government.
The Supreme Court observed that the heartwrenching incident in the national capital was an eye-opener for all and directed the Centre and Delhi governments to list the prescribed safety norms in coaching institutes. It also sought the Centre and state government’s response on the effective mechanisms introduced to ensure its compliance.
While hearing a petition by the Coaching Federation of India against the Delhi High Court order directing the state government and the Municipality of Delhi (MCD) to close down coaching centres operating in the state without a valid No-objection certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department, an SC-bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan observed, “Safety norms require proper ventilation, safety passage, air and light, fire safety norms and such other requirements prescribed under law. These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. Coaching institutes can operate online unless there is full compliance of the safety norms and basic norms for a dignified life.“
The judges further pronounced, “Coaching centres are playing with the lives of aspirants who come from different parts of the country.“
The Delhi High Court had transferred the probe on the deaths of the three civil services students at a prominent coaching in Old Rajinder Nagar (a locality which is dubbed as the “IAS Hub” of the nation), Delhi, from the city police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 2nd.
