The Tis Hazari Court in Delhi granted bail to Manuj Kathuria, a 50-year-old businessman, who was arrested in connection with the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in Old Rajendra Nagar on July 27. Kathuria had been detained following an incident where he drove his SUV through a rain-flooded street, allegedly causing water to surge and flood the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle building.


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The tragic event resulted in the deaths of three UPSC aspirants, who were trapped in the flooded basement library of Rau's IAS Study Circle. The flooding occurred following a heavy downpour in central Delhi.


Incident Details


The incident, which led to the deaths of two women and one man, occurred when heavy rainfall caused severe flooding in the national capital. A widely circulated video on social media showed Kathuria driving at high speed near the coaching institute. Subsequently, the gates of the building were found damaged, and the basement was flooded, trapping the aspirants in a basement library.


Family's Response


Kathuria's wife, Shima, defended her husband, stating he was on his way to drop off two guests at a metro station when the incident occurred. She claimed that the Delhi Police were unfairly targeting him and attempting to hold him responsible for the tragedy.
The Tis Hazari Court had previously rejected bail applications for Kathuria and four co-owners of the basement. Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar highlighted the gravity of the allegations against Kathuria, emphasizing that he ignored warnings from passersby about the dangers ahead. CCTV footage showed people trying to warn him, but he allegedly did not heed their advice.
In his order, Magistrate Kumar noted the seriousness of the offenses. "Perusal of CCTV footage prima facie shows that he is being tried to be warned of the dangers ahead by some passersby but he did not pay any heed. The allegations against the accused are serious in nature,” the order stated. The judge deemed the bail application untenable at that stage due to the circumstances and the seriousness of the case.
The tragic event resulted in the deaths of three UPSC aspirants, who were trapped in the flooded basement library of Rau's IAS Study Circle. The flooding occurred following a heavy downpour in central Delhi.