New Delhi [India], January 28: The Delhi High Court will hear the plea of RAU IAS Study Circle CEO, Abhishek Gupta, requesting the waiver of the Rs 2.5 crore financial condition imposed on his interim bail. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Gupta was granted interim bail on September 23, 2024, in connection with the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a flooded basement in Old Rajinder Nagar. As part of the bail conditions, Gupta was required to deposit Rs 2.5 crore with the Red Cross.
Justice Vikas Mahajan has scheduled the matter for arguments on Thursday, as the complainant’s counsel is currently occupied in the Supreme Court.
Gupta’s lawyer argued that the Supreme Court had already stayed the financial condition, and pointed out that the other four co-accused co-owners had been granted regular bail by the High Court. On January 21, 2025, a coordinate bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula confirmed the interim bail for the four co-owners of the basement, making it a regular bail.
Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh were granted interim bail by the trial court in the UPSC aspirant death case, with extensions granted over time. The matter is set for a hearing before the trial court on January 31.
On December 7, 2024, Gupta’s legal team informed the trial court that the Rs 2.5 crore financial condition had been challenged in the High Court. The High Court had extended the interim bail of the four co-owners until January 21, 2025, and the Supreme Court had stayed the financial requirement.
The bench of Justice DK Sharma had earlier recommended that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor form a committee, under the supervision of a retired High Court judge, to ensure no coaching centers are operated in basements without proper authorization. Additionally, the court directed the four co-owners of the basement to deposit Rs 5 crore with the Red Cross Society.
In previous hearings, the Delhi High Court had also asked the CBI to submit a status report addressing the causes of waterlogging in the area and the rainfall data from the day of the incident.
Earlier, the trial court had denied bail to the co-owners, stating that their liability stemmed from allowing the basement to be used as a coaching center, which was an illegal act.