The Tis Hazari Court denied the bail plea filed by Manoj Kathuria, the SUV driver, and others arrested in the Old Rajendra Nagar Coaching Centre accident case. Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar stated that the ongoing investigation could be compromised if bail is granted. As evidence might be tampered with. The court requested a response from Delhi Police regarding the petition challenging Kathuria’s arrest, with the next hearing scheduled for August 7.
Manoj Kathuria, along with coaching center co-owners Tejinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Sarabjit Singh, requested bail. Kathuria drove his sports utility vehicle through a rainwater-filled road on Saturday, causing the gates of a three-storey building to break and the basement to flood.
Unaware of the potential consequences, says Kathuria
Kathuria’s lawyer, Malhotra, argued that Kathuria was unaware of the potential consequences and did not intend to cause the incident. He noted that Kathuria drove at 15 km per hour and highlighted the challenges of driving in waterlogged areas. Malhotra criticized the Municipal Corporation and Delhi Jal Board for not addressing the waterlogging issue.
Advocate Amit Chaddha, representing the four coaching co-owners, argued that running a coaching library differs from a court library, as it is used between classes and not misused. He claimed that Sections 102 and 106 of the Indian Code of Justice. Which pertain to information, intention, and death due to negligence, are contradictory and should not both apply to the coaching owners.
Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava, representing Delhi Police, opposed the bail plea. He stated that although Kathuria is not guilty of negligence, he exacerbated the situation. Srivastava presented videos from Kathuria’s social media showing him driving the same SUV.
The court’s decision to deny bail underscores the seriousness of the ongoing investigation and the potential impact on evidence.
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