Delhi: Two-day relief for Uphaar case tampering convict to attend family function

Additional sessions judge Anil Antil passed the order after the Investigating officer and additional public prosecutor did not oppose the request by the former court staffer Dinesh Chand Sharma

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday suspended for two days the sentence awarded to a former court staff -- convicted for tampering with evidence in the main case of the Uphaar fire tragedy, which claimed 59 lives and left many injured -- allowing him to attend his niece’s engagement “on humanitarian grounds”.

59 people lost their lives and many others were injured in the Uphaar fire tragedy. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

Additional sessions judge Anil Antil passed the order after the Investigating officer (IO) and additional public prosecutor AT Ansari did not oppose the request by the former court staffer Dinesh Chand Sharma.

Sharma was convicted for tampering with evidence in the main case by a city court on October 8, following which he was awarded seven years imprisonment and a fine of ₹3 lakh on November 8.

The court had also convicted real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal for tampering with evidence and imposed a fine of ₹2.25 crore each on them.

Pointing out that his elder brother and father died recently, Sharma, through his counsel, on Saturday said that there is no elderly male member in the family to make arrangements for the engagement on November 21.

While awarding the sentence on November 8, the court had said that the regrets and remorse offered by the convicts are “hollow and their aim is to only escape the punishment”.