Coaching centre drowning incident: Court sends 5 accused to judicial custody for 14 days

NEW DELHI — Five accused arrested on Monday in connection with an incident, in which three civil service aspirants drowned at the basement of a coaching centre here, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court.

The five accused — Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sarabjeet Singh, the four co-owners of the coaching centre at Rajinder Nagar, and the driver of a car, Manuj Kathuria — were produced in the court.

Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar sent them to judicial custody till August 12.

Their bail pleas will be heard on Tuesday.

Also read: Delhi coaching centre deaths: Owner and coordinator arrested, officials say norms flouted

Kathuria, the driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that drove through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement, was among the five accused produced in the court.

His counsel told the court that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail.

However, the court asked the counsel to file written submissions for bail on Tuesday.

The counsel for the four co-owners of the coaching centre told the court that giving a building on lease does not fix any liability for the alleged criminal offences, including causing death by negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The court asked the lawyer to file written submissions.