Uphaar Fire: SC Dismisses Curative Plea, Relief for Ansal Brothers

The curative petitions were filed by the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT).

At least 59 people died after a fire broke out in Uphaar cinema on 13 June 1997. 

(Photo : Reuters)

The Supreme Court on Thursday, 20 February, dismissed a curative petition filed by the victims of the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy, giving relief to the Ansal brothers and sparing them a further jail term.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, and Justices NV Ramana and Arun Mishra considered the curative plea by the Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) in-chamber 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.”

SC bench order, as quoted by PTI

'Only the Rich & Powerful Get Justice': Petitioner

"Today’s judgment has been disappointing and we didn’t expect this from the Supreme Court. We thought maybe there will be justice somewhere," said petitioner Neelam Krishnamoorthy.

“We have waited for justice for a quarter-century. After that what justice have you (SC) given us? You’re just demonstrating that, in this country, only the rich and the powerful get justice.”

Neelam Krishnamoorthy, petitioner

"If you want justice in this country, you have to either organise a public outrage or a media campaign, otherwise its very difficult for a common person to get justice," she said.

Krishnamoorthy also questioned how the apex court got to know about Sushil Ansal's deteriorating health.

On 9 February 2017, the apex court had, by a 2:1 majority verdict, given relief to 78-year-old Sushil Ansal considering his "advanced age-related complications" by awarding him the jail term which he had already served.

It had, however, asked his younger sibling Gopal Ansal to serve the remaining one year jail term in the case.

The AVUT, through its president Neelam Krishnamoorthy, had sought reconsideration of the verdict by filing the curative plea.

In August 2015, the apex court had allowed the Ansals to walk free and asked them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each.

A fire at the Uphaar cinema in Delhi during the screening of the Hindi film Border on 13 June 1997 had claimed 59 lives. The owners of the Uphaar Cinema were Sushil Ansal and his brother Gopal Ansal.