Owner of Rau’s IAS Study Circle ‘Knowingly’ Misused Basement, CBI Tells Court
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has accused Abhishek Gupta, the owner of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, of illegally converting the basement of the institute in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, into a commercial space. This violation of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) regulations came to light after the tragic drowning of three UPSC aspirants in the basement library on July 27.
Taking over the investigation from the Delhi Police on August 2, the CBI cited the gravity of the charges and requested the special court to permit the custodial interrogation of Gupta and five other accused—Deshpal Singh, Harvinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Sarabjeet Singh, and Tajinder Singh—who are currently in judicial custody. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg placed the six accused in CBI custody until September 4.
The CBI’s investigation revealed that the coaching institute had operated without a mandatory fire safety certificate for nearly a year. Despite a warning from the Delhi High Court in 2023 regarding the lack of fire safety measures in many local coaching centers, the MCD had only issued a show cause notice to Rau’s IAS Study Circle. The institute’s owner assured compliance, applying for a fire safety certificate in August 2023, which was only granted on July 9, 2024.
Further inquiries revealed that the MCD had issued an occupancy certificate in August 2021, specifying the basement for non-commercial uses like parking and storage. However, in January 2022, Gupta signed a nine-year lease for the space, paying ₹4 lakh monthly rent, and converted the basement into a library and exam hall, violating these terms.
The CBI also highlighted the area’s frequent flooding, noting that steel gates were installed to block water entry into the basement. However, during heavy rainfall on July 27, the basement was quickly flooded, trapping several students inside. Tragically, three aspirants—Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nevin Dalvin—drowned due to asphyxia, as confirmed by post-mortem results.
In its court submission, the CBI emphasized that the institute had been using all floors, including the basement, for commercial operations in clear violation of the building’s approved usage.
(With inputs from agency)
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