1997 Uphaar tragedy case: SC rejects curative plea of victims against verdict sparing Ansal brothers further jail term
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the curative petition filed by victims of the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case.
A curative petition was filed by the Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) against the verdict sparing the Ansal brothers further jail term.
The case pertains to a fire that broke out in Uphaar Cinema, situated in south Delhi's Green Park area, during the screening of Hindi film "Border". While 59 people died of asphyxia, over 100 others were injured in the ensuing stampede.
After a wait of 20 years, the apex court on February 9, 2017 delivered the verdict and by a 2:1 majority verdict, gave relief to 78-year-old Sushil Ansal considering his "advanced age-related complications" by awarding him the jail term which he had already served.
Younger sibling Gopal Ansal was directed by the top court to serve the remaining one-year jail term in the case.
Earlier in August 2015, the apex court allowed the Ansals to walk free and asked them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, and justices NV Ramana and Arun Mishra considered the curative plea by the victims in-chamber on Thursday and dismissed it.
"We have gone through the curative petitions and the relevant documents. In our opinion, no case is made out.... Hence, the curative petition is dismissed," the bench said in its order.
The AVUT had sought reconsideration of the verdict by filing the curative plea.