CBI Finds No Evidence Against Senior MCD Officials in Rau's IAS Tragedy

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a supplementary final report to the Rouse Avenue Court, concluding that there is no evidence of criminal negligence against two senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials regarding the 2024 Rau's IAS coaching centre tragedy.  

The investigation, which followed a court-directed probe into the potential role of senior civic authorities, exonerated the then-Deputy Commissioner of the Karol Bagh Zone, Kumar Abhishek, and the then-Superintending Engineer, Ajay Nagpal. The agency stated that these officials were unaware of the illegal basement usage, as they had not been informed by their subordinates.  

Findings on Negligence and Departmental ActionWhile clearing the senior officials, the CBI identified "dereliction of duty and negligence" by three other MCD officials from the Building Department: Assistant Engineer (Building) Rajeev Kumar Jain and then-Executive Engineer Kumar Mahendra, in addition to the previously chargesheeted Junior Engineer Arnav Kumar Dutta.  

The report highlighted that while the agency found these officers negligent, they are not being formally chargesheeted in this supplementary report due to a lack of sanction for prosecution. However, the MCD has already initiated departmental proceedings against them.  

The tragedy occurred on July 27, 2024, when heavy rains caused the basement of the Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar—illegally operated as a library—to flood, resulting in the deaths of three UPSC aspirants: Nevin Dalvin, Tanya Soni, and Shreya Yadav. The court has listed the closure report for consideration on July 28.