Tragedy Strikes Coaching Centres: Delhi HC Slams Authorities and Condemns Dangerous Freebies Culture
Students gathered at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, to pay tributes to three fellow UPSC aspirants who tragically drowned in the basement of a coaching centre. The incident has led to severe criticism from the Delhi High Court, which on July 31, 2024, reprimanded authorities for the deaths, attributing them to a “freebies culture” that leads to insufficient tax collection and inadequate infrastructure.
The court has demanded that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) present all documents related to the incident by August 2, 2024. The police were also questioned for not arresting any MCD officials despite their potential role in the tragedy. Additionally, the MCD Director has been ordered to appear in court.
A Bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, and including Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, criticized the current investigation as insufficient, pointing out that while action was taken against a passerby driving a car, no municipal officials were held accountable. The judges noted that the proliferation of multi-storey buildings without proper drainage systems was a recipe for disaster. They accused the authorities of prioritizing a “freebies culture” over essential infrastructure, leading to systemic failures.
The court emphasized the need for comprehensive infrastructure development and accused the authorities of financial mismanagement, which has left them unable to pay salaries. The hearing stemmed from a plea calling for a high-level investigation into the deaths of the three aspirants—Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala—who perished in the flooded basement on July 27.
This incident has prompted around 200 students to start an indefinite hunger strike near the coaching centre, demanding justice and systemic changes to prevent such tragedies in the future.
(With inputs from PTI)
Original Story https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coaching-centre-deaths-delhi-hc-pulls-up-authorities-slams-freebies-culture/article68467943.ece
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