Court grants bail to SUV driver

NEW DELHI: On Thursday, Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar granted bail to SUV driver Manuj Kathuria, who had been arrested for allegedly causing the drowning of three students in the basement of a coaching centre. The court found that Kathuria was “implicated in over-enthusiasm” and noted that the prosecution decided to drop the more severe charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The remaining charges against him, including rash driving, negligent conduct, and causing hurt, are bailable.

Kathuria was granted bail on the condition that he furnish a personal bond and a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each. The court also imposed additional conditions: Kathuria must not make any comments about the case to the media, cooperate with the investigation when required, avoid tampering with evidence, and refrain from contacting the complainant or witnesses.

This decision followed an earlier denial of bail by a magisterial court, which deemed the plea “untenable at this stage.” The high court had previously criticized the Delhi Police’s handling of the case, describing their investigation as “strange” and suggesting it might be a cover-up. The high court questioned the police’s approach, which led to Kathuria’s arrest along with four co-owners of the basement.

The court’s decision took into account the prosecution’s reply indicating that the charge of culpable homicide was not sufficiently established at this stage. It was noted that the primary offence now appears to be under BNS Section 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way). The prosecution had failed to provide crucial scientific data, including the cubic volume of water displaced by Kathuria’s SUV and the impact on the coaching centre’s iron door. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, representing Kathuria, argued that without these measurements, it was impossible to link Kathuria’s actions directly to the damage.

Earlier, a magisterial court had also sent Abhishek Gupta, owner of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, and coordinator Deshpal Singh to 14-day judicial custody. The court emphasized the need for an expert team’s assessment to determine the exact role of Kathuria in the incident.