New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a supplementary final report before a Delhi court seeking closure of the probe against two senior officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in the 2024 Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching centre deaths case.
The agency informed the court that it found no evidence of criminal negligence or wrongdoing by the two senior civic officials in connection with the permission and use of the basement of the coaching institute building as a library.
However, the CBI found negligence and dereliction of duty by three officials of the MCD Building Department, stating that their failure to perform official responsibilities contributed to the continuation of unauthorised commercial use of the basement.
CBI Seeks Court Approval for Closure Report
In its report submitted before the Delhi court, the CBI requested that the closure report be accepted and appropriate orders be passed.
The agency stated that the investigation did not reveal any material indicating criminal negligence or lapses by the two senior MCD officials. It also said there was no evidence to prosecute them for allowing the basement area of the building to be used as a library.
The closure report was filed following the court’s direction to examine whether senior MCD officials had failed in their duties in relation to the incident.
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Three MCD Building Department Officials Found Negligent
While giving relief to the two senior officers, the CBI identified negligence on the part of three officials from the MCD Building Department.
According to the investigation, these officials failed to prevent the unauthorised commercial use of the basement where the library was operating.
The agency noted that their negligence in carrying out official duties allowed the violation to continue, which contributed to the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
The MCD has already started departmental proceedings against the three officials based on the CBI’s recommendations.
MCD Engineer Arnav Kumar Dutta Already Chargesheeted
The CBI also informed the court that MCD Joint Engineer Arnav Kumar Dutta has already been chargesheeted in the case.
The agency alleged that Dutta was aware of the commercial use of the basement but failed to report the violation to senior officials despite inspecting the premises multiple times.
The investigation found that his actions and inaction played a role in allowing the unauthorised use of the basement to continue.
Rau’s IAS Coaching Centre Basement Flooding Case
The case relates to the tragic deaths of three civil services aspirants on July 27, 2024, after the basement library of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar was flooded following heavy rainfall.
The victims were identified as:
- Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh
- Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana
- Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala
The incident led to widespread public anger and raised serious concerns over building safety norms, regulatory failures and enforcement of civic rules at coaching centres.
Probe Focused on Safety Violations and Civic Accountability
Following the incident, investigations examined the role of multiple stakeholders, including coaching centre officials and civic authorities responsible for enforcing building regulations.
The latest CBI report highlights that while senior MCD officials were not found criminally responsible, accountability measures are being pursued against officials whose negligence allegedly contributed to the violation of building norms.
