NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday extended the interim bail of four owners of a coaching centre basement in Old Rajinder Nagar, where three UPSC aspirants drowned in July.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma extended the bail of Sarabjit Singh, Parvinder Singh, Tejinder Singh, and Harvinder Singh till January 21. The Supreme Court, in a recent decision, stayed the condition imposed by the High Court of depositing Rs. 2.5 crore with the Red Cross Society.
This condition had been set during the initial granting of bail on September 13, 2024. Similarly, the Supreme Court has stayed the requirement for Abhishek Gupta, the CEO of RAU’s IAS Study Circle, to deposit Rs 5 crore as part of his bail conditions.
The High Court, while extending the bail, directed advocate Abhijit Anand, representing the complainant Dalvin Suresh, to submit his reply to the applications. The matter has now been listed for further hearing on January 21, 2025.
Earlier, the Rouse Avenue Court had granted interim bail to Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh on September 23, 2024, in connection with the case. The trial court had, however, denied bail to the basement co-owners, citing their alleged complicity in allowing the premises to operate illegally as a coaching centre, contributing to the fatal incident.
The High Court, recognising the implications of the case, previously directed the lieutenant governor to establish a committee under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. This committee aims to oversee and prevent unauthorised operation of coaching centres in basements across the city.