New Delhi: Coaching centres have become veritable “death chambers”, the Supreme Court observed Monday, taking suo motu cognisance of the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi last month.
Top court judges also said these centres operated under “horrible conditions” without complying with safety norms.
A bench led by Justice Surya Kant issued notices to the central and Delhi governments, directing them to file a status report on the safety rules prescribed so far and what effective mechanism was in place to ensure they were followed.
Tania Soni (25), Shreya Yadav (25), and Navin Delvin (28), drowned when flood water accumulated in the basement library, located in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, following heavy rainfall on 27 July. The centre had permission only for parking and storage, authorities later said. The tragic deaths sparked a nationwide uproar, with hundreds of students protesting in Old Rajinder Nagar the following week.
“The recent unfortunate incidents taking away the lives of some young aspirants who joined coaching centres for their career pursuits are eye-openers for one and all. We therefore deem it appropriate to expand the scope of these proceedings suo motu and issue notice to the Union of India and Delhi NCT,” the bench said.
The bench asked for the Attorney General of India’s assistance and directed the court registry to serve the Delhi government through its chief secretary.
The court order came on an appeal filed by the Coaching Federation of India against the Delhi High Court’s December 2022 judgment that brought coaching institutes within the purview of educational institutions and directed them to abide by building bylaws and fire safety norms.
The bench dismissed the appeal as “totally frivolous” and fined the federation Rs 1 lakh, while holding its president, general secretary and treasurer personally liable to bear this sum. In case the amount is not paid within three weeks, the bench said the registry would issue contempt notices to them.
“You still want us to hear it,” the bench remarked at the outset of the hearing. “You want us to interfere in a simple order…you don’t want to even comply with fire compliance norms,” Justice Surya Kant said.
The bench then took a decision to take cognisance of the matter and observed: “We are inclined to close them (institutions), if need be. Let for the time being coaching go online.”
The bench further said: “You are making the lives of young aspirants miserable. They have their dreams, work hard, and this is how you deal with them.”
The court said coaching or tuition centres in Delhi and within the national capital region (NCR) should be allowed to operate only if there was “meticulous compliance of fire safety norms and other safety measures for students”.
Besides, the court emphasised, other basic amenities for a dignified human life, such as proper ventilation, safety passages, air and light and other requirements prescribed through statutory measures or guidelines should be provided at these institutions.
Unsure whether the Centre or the Delhi Government had taken steps, the court issued notices to both.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer urged the court to do away with the high court’s finding that coaching institutes were educational institutions. But the bench remained firm and refused to set aside the HC order.
It directed the federation to pay 50 percent of the fine to the Supreme Court Bar Association and the remaining to the Supreme Court Advocates-On-Record.