Uphaar tragedy victims in court against order reducing sentence of Ansal Brothers, others

Five people were convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison by the magistrate's court in 2021 for destroying key evidence in the case.

The Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy moved the Delhi High Court against a district judge's decision to reduce the sentence of Ansal brothers and other accused in the case, and release them on the sentence served.

The court will now hear the plea on Monday.

In July, Judge Dharmesh Sharma, in his order, had upheld the conviction of the accused in the Uphaar Tragedy Destruction of Evidence case, but said that due to the advanced age of the two brothers Gopal and Sushil Ansal, and the fact that the other accused were employees or subordinates, it would release them on the sentence already undergone.

The judge in his verdict said, "Families were lost, lives were lost. It can never be compensated for. But the penal policy is not retribution. We have to consider their age and how they have suffered. You have suffered but they have also suffered for their own doings. Morally, I agree with your argument, but legally, I have to consider the issue."

Also Read: | 22 years since Uphaar fire tragedy, it's deja vu for Delhi

A deadly blaze killed 59 people at Delhi’s Uphaar Cinema in 1997. Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal owned the theatre.

The Ansal brothers were accused of tampering with the important files of the case and removing the pages with evidence.