Rouse Avenue Court Orders Judicial Custody for Six Accused in Rajinder Nagar Coaching Centre Drownings

Rouse Avenue Court has sent six accused in the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre drownings case to judicial custody until September 18, 2024. The Central Bureau of Investigation is handling the case. The court previously remanded them to police custody for interrogation crucial to the investigation.

Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday sent all six accused in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar coaching centre drownings of three UPSC aspirants, to judicial custody until September 18, 2024. The case is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The accused were presented in court by the CBI following the conclusion of their remand period, which was granted during the previous hearing.

In the previous hearing, the court emphasized that custodial interrogation of the accused was pivotal for the ongoing investigation. Consequently, it remanded Abhishek Gupta, Deshpal Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Parvinder Singh to police custody for four days. The court stated that custodial interrogation aids the investigation and is a crucial mode of probing an alleged crime. The court further noted that the Supreme Court has affirmed that in serious offenses, the Investigation Officer should have the autonomy to complete the investigation.

Representing the CBI, Senior Public Prosecutor Prashant Kumar highlighted the necessity of custodial interrogation for the investigation, pointing out that the CBI had not yet taken the accused into police custody. Recently, a petition by Abhishek Gupta, CEO of Rau's IAS Study Circle, to resume classes at the coaching centre was rejected by the court. This followed the tragic drowning of three IAS aspirants caused by basement flooding on July 27. The CBI opposed the petition, arguing that the basement was improperly used as a library rather than for storage as intended.

(With inputs from agencies.)