The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the plea of Abhishek Gupta, CEO of RAU IAS Study Circle, on Thursday, requesting the waiver of the Rs. 2.5 crore financial condition imposed on his interim bail.
Gupta, who was granted interim bail on September 23, 2024, in connection with the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded basement in Old Rajinder Nagar, had been ordered to deposit the amount with the Red Cross.
Justice Vikas Mahajan listed the matter for hearing, as the counsel for the complainant was unavailable due to commitments in the Supreme Court. Gupta’s lawyer pointed out that the Supreme Court had already stayed the condition and noted that the other four co-accused, co-owners of the basement, had been granted regular bail by the High Court.
On January 21, 2025, a coordinate bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula confirmed the regular bail of the four co-owners.
The trial court had initially granted interim bail to Gupta and Deshpal Singh, the coordinator, with the bail being extended periodically. The matter is next scheduled for hearing in the trial court on January 31.
Abhishek Gupta’s legal team had informed the trial court on December 7, 2024, that the Rs. 2.5 crore condition had been challenged in the High Court. In the meantime, the High Court had extended the interim bail of the four co-owners until January 21, 2025, and the Supreme Court stayed the financial deposit requirement.
The case also led to concerns about the safety of coaching centers in basements. In a significant move, the bench of Justice DK Sharma had called upon the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) to form a committee, led by a retired High Court judge, to monitor basement operations used as coaching centers in the city.
Additionally, the court had directed the four co-owners to deposit Rs. 5 crore with the Red Cross Society as part of the bail conditions. The Delhi High Court had earlier directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report investigating the primary causes of waterlogging in the area and provide rainfall data from the day of the incident.
Previously, the trial court had denied bail to the 4 co-owners, citing their liability for the illegal use of the basement as a coaching institute.
Read More: Unable To Board Trains, Kumbh-Bound Passengers Creates Unrest At 2 Railway Station: Madhya Pradesh
