New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday ordered the de-sealing of Uphaar cinema hall, where a major fire accident in 1997 killed 59 people, news agency PTI reported. The court observed that keeping the property sealed would serve “absolutely no purpose” and said since the trial has reached finality, the property be released to the rightful owner.
The court also noted that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Delhi Police and Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) chief Neelam Krishnamoorthy have also given their "no objection" to the Supreme Court to return the theatre to the applicant.
The court was hearing an application moved by Ansal Theatres and Club Hotels Private Ltd, whose former owners were real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, who were convicted in the case.
“Since the trial has reached finality, absolutely no purpose would be served to keep the property sealed. The application is thereby allowed and property in question be de-sealed and released to the applicant being the rightful owner,” the judge said, as reported by PTI.
The court also rejected Krishnamoorthy's submission that sought action against the applicant for filing a copy of a Supreme Court judgment in the case but, as claimed by Krishnamoorthy, had deliberately omitted a few lines at the bottom of the page to “misguide the court”. However, the judge said it was done “inadvertently”.
According to Krishnamoorthy, the applicant had tampered with the judicial record and pointed out that an FIR was registered against the directors of the applicant company for tampering with judicial records in the case for which they were even convicted.
The judge, however, noted the submission of the counsel for the applicant, claimed there was “no deliberate attempt to conceal these lines from the said judgment and it happened inadvertently”.
“In the view of this court, the concealment of these lines could not have helped the applicant in any way in disposing of this application in its favour. Thereby, the plea raised by Neelam Krishnamoorthy of tampering of the judicial record by the applicant is not acceptable,” the judge said.
Uphaar Cinema Tragedy
The Uphaar Cinema tragedy occurred on June 13, 1997. A fire erupted during a screening at Uphaar Cinema in New Delhi, leading to the deaths of 59 people and injuring over a hundred. The blaze was ignited by a faulty transformer and quickly engulfed the cinema due to inadequate safety measures, including blocked exits and non-functional fire alarms.
The tragedy exposed widespread negligence in adhering to building-safety codes and safety regulations, sparking national outrage. Legal proceedings ensued against the cinema's owners, the Ansal brothers, and they were convicted of negligence.