'Eye-openers for one and all': SC takes suo motu cognisance of UPSC aspirants' deaths; issues notice to Delhi govt, Centre

The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar. Terming the incident an 'eye-opener', the court equated coaching centres to 'death chambers' and said they were playing with students' lives.

"The coaching centres are playing with the lives of students and have become death chambers," the court said. The apex court was hearing a petition by the Coaching Center Federation challenging the Delhi High Court order for shutting down coaching centres that did not have a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The court rejected this appeal and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Coaching Center Federation. The top court also issued notices to the central government and the Chief Secretary of Delhi, asking whether any safety regulations are being implemented in coaching centres whatsoever.

The court said that if the coaching centres do not meet safety norms, they should be moved to the online mode. 

"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 include proper ventilation, safety passages, air and light," the court said.

While issuing the notice to the Delhi government and the Centre, Justice Surya Kant said: "We, therefore, deem it appropriate to expand the scope of these proceedings as suo motu to issue notice to Union of India and NCT of Delhi to show cause as to what safety norms have been prescribed so far and, if so, what is the effective mechanism introduced for their compliance." 

On Friday, the Delhi High Court transferred the investigation into the deaths of UPSC aspirants at Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) "to ensure the public has no doubt over the investigation". 

3 civil service aspirants died in the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 due to flooding after heavy rain. Following heavy downpour, the coaching centre's library was flooded and the aspirants could not come out of the basement in time.

The three aspirants were identified as 28-year-old Nevin Delvin from Kerala, 25-year-old Shreya Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, and 25-year-old Tania Soni from Telangana.