A sessions court in Delhi on Friday dismissed Ansal brothers plea seeking suspension of 7 years jail term for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case.
Real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal had been convicted for tampering with evidence in fire tragedy with the court saying they attacked the very purity and sanctity of the justice system, thereby making it the ‘victim’.
The tampering was detected in July (2002) which makes it plain that when the accused got convinced that trial would proceed in a speedy way, they hatched a conspiracy to remove the most crucial documents to escape punishment,” the court had noted earlier.
During the trial in the main case related to the tragedy that claimed 59 lives, the Ansals, along with 5 others, including the then court staff, had torn, defaced and obliterated crucial documents of the prosecution evidence to secure their acquittal. The Ansals were convicted in this matter.
In the case, the magisterial court had found all accused guilty under sections 409, 201, 120B of the Indian Penal Code and also imposed a fine of Rs 2.25 crore each on the Ansals.
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Among the 7 accused, the two Har Swaroop Panwar and Dharamvir Malhotra were died during the course of the trial.
The businessmen Gopal, Sushil Ansal and others had recently moved session court against magistrate Court’s order.
The fire had broken out at the Uphaar cinema during the screening of the Hindi film ‘Border’ on 13 June 1997, claiming 59 lives.
In fact, Delhi’s Patiala House Court had sentenced Sushil and Gopal Ansal to 7 years imprisonment for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case.