Uphaar case: Court to hear petition of AVUT on Oct 24

A Delhi Court on Wednesday fixed October 24 for hearing a petition filed by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) against the clean chit given by CBI to former IPS officer Amod Kanth in the 1997 Uphaar fire case.

A Delhi Court on Wednesday fixed October 24 for hearing a petition filed by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) against the clean chit given by CBI to former IPS officer Amod Kanth in the 1997 Uphaar fire case.

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District and Sessions Judge S P Garg, after being informed that the trial court records of the Uphaar fire tragedy has been traced, fixed the application of AVUT for hearing on October 24.

The AVUT, led by Neelam Krishnamurthy who herself lost her two children in the inferno, had sought criminal prosecution of Kanth for his alleged role in allowing extra seats in the balcony of the theatre which allegedly led to the closure of exit gates.

Senior advocate K T S Tulsi would argue the matter on the next date of hearing on behalf of AVUT and seek rejection of CBI’s probe report giving clean chit to the officer.

Earlier, the probe agency, in its report, had said that there was no witness to the fact that it was Kanth who had allowed extra seats in the theatre for any consideration.

Kanth, the then Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police (Licencing), had allegedly allowed retention of 37 extra seats in the theatre in 1979 in violation of the Cinematography Act. It had consequently blocked the exits at the balcony of the theatre.

As many as 59 victims died of asphyxia during the screening of Hindi blockbuster ‘Border´ on June 13, 1997 as they could not come out due to blockage of exit gates when the fire engulfed the theatre.