Coaching centre deaths: SC asks panel to submit interim report on steps to check such incidents in 4 weeks
The Supreme Court on Friday asked a committee appointed by the Government to probe the death of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in the capital due to flooding in the building's basement to submit in four weeks an interim report on measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The direction came after Attorney General R Venkataramani said the Centre has set up a high-level committee to look into the unfortunate deaths of IAS aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar and that the panel would submit its report in two months.
"This is a serious issue. You should expedite the consultation process as action is needed on an urgent basis. We want the committee to submit its interim measures within four weeks,” the Bench told Venkataramani.
Directing the government of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to inform it of the legislative, administrative and policy changes made to prevent a repeat of such incidents, a Bench led by Justice Surya Kant said "If the need arises, we will pass directions for pan-India to prevent Old Rajinder Nagar-type incidents.”
Uniform initiatives should be taken in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent another Old Rajinder Nagar-type incident, it said.
The three IAS aspirants -- Shreya Yadav (25) hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Dalvin (24) from Kerala -- drowned to death after rain water entered the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar here on July 27, triggering protests by students/civil services aspirants demanding better safety measures at coaching centres and civic amenities in the area.
As senior advocate Aprajita Singh, representing the victims’ families, said she wanted to be made a party to the case, the Bench allowed her intervention application.
Terming the recent deaths of three civil services aspirants due to drowning in the basement of a coaching centre in the national capital as an “eye-opener for one and all”, the Supreme Court had on August 5 taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi Government.
"These places (coaching centres) have become death chambers. You are taking away the lives of young ones coming from different parts of the country," the Bench had said, asking the Delhi Government and the Union Urban Development Ministry to spell out their stand on proper guidelines and safety norms for coaching institutes.
"All coaching institutes and centres of Delhi are required to comply with the fire and safety norms under the Master Plan of Delhi, 2021 read with Unified Building Bye Laws of Delhi, 2016. Coaching institutes can operate online unless there is full compliance of the safety norms and basic norms for dignified life of young ones studying there. Such norms must include proper ventilation, safety passages, air and light," the Bench had said.
