NEW DELHI, 25 April 2003 — In a landmark decision yesterday, the Delhi High Court ordered a cinema owner and three government agencies to fork out 1.5 million rupees ($5 million) in compensation to relatives of 59 people killed in a fire six years ago.
Fifty-seven people died in June 1997 when a fire broke out at an upmarket cinema hall in the heart of the Indian capital during the screening of a Hindi movie based on a war between India and Pakistan in 1971. Two people later died in hospital.
The fire at the Uphaar Grand cinema was caused by sparks from transformers housed in the theater’s basement.
Most of the victims were asphyxiated as panic-stricken people tried to reach dimly marked exits to escape the smoke and fire.
Yesterday, a two-judge bench ordered the payment of 1.5 million rupees to the relatives of the victims who were younger than 20 at the time of tragedy and 1.8 million rupees each to those older than 20. The court also ordered compensation of 100,000 rupees each to all those injured in the accident.
