Rau’s IAS Study Circle drownings: Delhi court grants interim bail to CEO Abhishek Gupta, coaching coordinator Deshpal Singh
Abhishek Gupta and Deshpal Singh were arrested after three civil service aspirants drowned in the basement of the Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27.
Of the seven people arrested in relation to the case, all are currently out of jail: one has been granted regular bail and six others have been granted interim bail. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
A Delhi court on Monday granted interim bail to Rau’s IAS Study Circle CEO Abhishek Gupta and coaching coordinator Deshpal Singh till December 7. They were arrested after three civil service aspirants drownedin the basement of the coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27.
The three civil service aspirants were Shreya Yadav, 25, from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni, 25, from Telangana and Nevin Dalvin, 24, from Kerala.
Gupta was directed by the court to deposit Rs 2.5 crore with the Red Cross Society by the end of November.
“It is no doubt true that the basement of the premises was being used in contravention to the rules and regulations, however, at the same time the failure of civic authorities cannot be ignored,” said Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna of Rouse Avenue Court while granting the accused bail.
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The accused were represented by senior advocates Sidharth Luthra, and Rebecca John, and advocates Mohit Saraf and Sanjeev Sharma.
Of the seven people arrested in relation to the case, all are currently out of jail: one has been granted regular bail and six others have been granted interim bail. The four co-owners of the basement where the aspirants had drowned were granted interim bail till January 30 by the Delhi High Court on September 13. The co-owners – Parvinder Singh, Tajinder Singh, Sarbjit Singh and Harvinder Singh – were also asked to pay Rs 5 crore to the Red Cross Society as a condition for their interim bail.
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Calling what the co-owners did an “act of greed”, the high court also suggested that the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) appoint a committee chaired by a former judge to ensure that coaching centres do not violate norms and regulations. The Court had also suggested that the government designate a specific place in the city where coaching centres can operate.
On the other hand, Manuj Kathuria, the man who drove his SUV in a waterlogged lane near the centre and allegedly broke open the gates of the basement due to waves created by his vehicle was granted regular bail by a trial court in Delhi on August 1. The court had stated that Kathuria was implicated by the Delhi Police in “over-enthusiasm”.
A day later, on August 2, a division bench of the high court transferred the probe in the case from the Delhi Police to the CBI considering the possibility that the incident “may involve corruption by public servants”.
Advocate Abhijeet Anand representing Dalvin’s father had told a Delhi court earlier that no official has been interrogated or arrested by the CBI in the case. Complaining about the slow progress of the investigation, Anand had also alleged that various town planners (IAS officers) were involved in the building sanction plan and that perhaps Delhi’s chief secretary was also involved in the corruption.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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