Ansal brothers sent to judicial custody
A CBI special court sent Sushil and Gopal Ansal to 14-day judicial custody till the time their appeal is heard against their conviction for lapses that led to the Uphaar fire tragedy.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court sent real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal to judicial custody till the time their appeal is heard against their conviction for lapses that led to the June 1997 Uphaar theatre fire tragedy.
CBI Special Judge I.K. Kohar sent the Ansal brothers to judicial custody after they surrendered before the court following the Supreme Court's cancellation of their bail plea Wednesday.
"We are happy that finally our fight for justice has reached its conclusion," said Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) president Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who has been spearheading a tireless judicial fight for justice to victims.
Fifty-nine people, including 22 children, had died and over 100 other were injured in the fire in the cinema hall.
While cancelling the Ansal brothers' bail, granted to them by the Delhi High Court, pending their appeal against their conviction and two-year jail term in the Uphaar fire tragedy case, the Supreme Court bench also directed the high court to dispose their appeals "expeditiously".
The bench also cancelled the bails of two former employees of the Ansals, Uphaar theatre managers Ajit Chaudhary and Nirmal Singh Chopra, on a joint plea by the AVUT and the CBI.
The joint plea alleged that out on bail, the two brothers were manipulating the judicial system and causing delay in disposal of their appeal by the high court.