New Delhi: Bringing finality to the decade-long fight against the Ansal brothers for a fire at a movie hall owned by them, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Gopal Ansal’s plea against his prison sentence.
A bench headed by justice Ranjan Gogoi directed Gopal Ansal to surrender before the Patiala House court in New Delhi before 20 March.
On 9 February, the apex court had sentenced Gopal Ansal to one-year imprisonment, while his elder brother Sushil Ansal was let off with a fine of Rs30 crore considering his advanced age.
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The Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (Avut) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had sought a review of an earlier decision of the court in which the Ansal brothers were fined Rs30 crore each with no jail term after being convicted on charges of criminal negligence.
The Ansal brothers were initially sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by the trial court. This was reduced to one year by the Delhi high court on 19 December 2008.
Fifty-nine people, trapped in the balcony of the Uphaar theatre in south Delhi, died of asphyxia following the fire and over 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede on 13 June 1997 during the screening of Hindi film Border. The Ansals recently sought the court’s nod to reopen Uphaar Cinema premises which have remained sealed ever since the accident.
