Highlights:
- Real Estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal were convicted of evidence tampering in the Ansal fire tragedy case; sentenced to a 7-year jail term.
- An additional fine of Rs. 2.25 crores have been imposed on each of the brothers.
- Former court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma alongside PP Batra and Anoop Singh also witness 7-year detention in addition to a fine of Rs. 3 lakh each.
The Patiala House Court of Delhi has announced its verdict on the Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy after 25 years. The gruesome incident took place on 13th June, 1997 which claimed the lives of 59 people and posed non-fatal injuries to around 103.
Businessmen Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal have been reprimanded with 7-year jail custody for tampering with vital evidence associated with the case. In addition to this, Pankaj Sharma, the Chief metropolitan magistrate of the Patiala House Court imposed a fine of 2.25 crores on each brother. Released on bail, the convicted tycoons were taken into custody shortly after the court’s order.
Former court staff, Dinesh Chand Sharma along with two others P P Batra and Anoop Singh were also found guilty and awarded a 7-year jail term coupled with a fine of Rs. 3 lakh each.
The Ansal brothers had formerly been convicted by the Supreme court and sentenced to a 2-year term but were released conditionally charging each of them with a fine of Rs. 30 crores to be utilised for constructing a trauma centre in the national capital.
Whilst passing the judgement, Pankaj Sharma communicated that he contemplated on the case for several nights in a row and arrived at an ultimate conclusion that the convicts deserved to be punished. He also acknowledged the difficulty of arriving at a decision given the intricacies involved in the case.
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Two others were convicted of the same crime, Har Swaroop Panwar and Dharamvir Malhotra. They, however, died during the trial period.
Neelam Krishnamurthy who lost both her children to the tragedy put up a prolonged and laborious fight in the ultimate hope of justice. She referred to the judgement as historic. She claims it to be one of the most back-breaking cases of her life as the whole scenario was exceedingly complicated.
