The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a stern rebuke to the civic body following the tragic deaths of three civil service aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar. The court has summoned the MCD commissioner for a hearing on Thursday.
A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan directed the authorities to clear all encroachments on drains in the Rajinder Nagar area by Friday. The court also suggested the possibility of transferring the investigation to a central agency. “What kind of planning is this? One day you complain of drought and the next day there is a flood? Who sanctioned the building plan? Has he been held accountable? He must have received a double promotion. The MCD has become a joke,” the court remarked.
The court was responding to a petition filed by an NGO seeking a high-level committee investigation into the incident and an inquiry into the legality of coaching institutes operating in the area.
In a pointed criticism of the ruling AAP government, the court linked the tragedy to a “freebies culture” that undermines tax collection. “You want to have a freebies culture, but don’t want to collect taxes… this is bound to happen,” the two-judge bench stated.
The court highlighted the lack of proper drainage in an area crowded with multi-storey buildings and popular for UPSC coaching centers. It noted the apparent neglect by civic bodies, emphasizing that the MCD is financially strained and unable to pay salaries to its employees.
A preliminary investigation suggested that the drainage system in the area was heavily clogged with silt. On Wednesday, Delhi Minister Atishi attributed the flooding to encroachment by coaching centers that blocked the drainage area.
Calling it a “strange probe,” the High Court criticized the lack of action against MCD officials while a passerby who drove a car near Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching institute was arrested. The Delhi Police has been added as a respondent in the case.
Police alleged that Manuj Kathuria, a businessman, drove his SUV through the flooded street in Old Rajinder Nagar, causing a wave that damaged the institute’s gate and flooded the basement.
The court emphasized the need for clear delineation of responsibilities among authorities. “We understand all stakeholders are responsible… This is a strategy where no person is held responsible. We have to determine where the jurisdiction of one authority ends and the responsibility of another begins,” the court stated.
The hearing will continue on Friday.
