NEW DELHI: Real estate tycoons, brothers — Sushil and Gopal Ansal — will be in judicial custody till their appeal is heard against their conviction for lapses that led to June 13, 1997, Uphaar cinema hall fire tragedy, in which 59 people, including 22 children were killed and 100 others injured.
Welcoming the verdict, president of Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), Neelam Krishnamoorthy, said: “We are happy that finally our fight for justice has reached its conclusion.”
Delhi High Court Judge I.K. Kochar sent the Ansal brothers to judicial custody after they surrendered yesterday afternoon following the cancellation of their bail plea by the Supreme Court the preceding day.
The apex court had ordered them to surrender before the trial court by yesterday. Two managers of Uphaar cinema hall, Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, also surrendered in response to the apex court’s decision.
The apex court comprising Justices B.N. Aggarwal and G.S. Singhvi had ordered the arrest of the four after canceling their bail. The bench took this decision following a five-hour long marathon hearing. The bench disagreed with contention made by senior advocates defending the Ansal brothers.
The apex court also questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for having failed to take action against officers of licensing authority that had not taken any action against Uphaar cinema hall for alleged deviations. Why had not the CBI held the licensing authority accountable, asked Singhvi.
“The problem in our country is that we cry after a tragedy takes place. However, we do not mend our ways and wait for another tragedy to happen,” he said.
