Uphaar fire tragedy: SC rejects Gopal Ansal's plea, asks him to surrender

SC declines plea seeking more time for Gopal Ansal

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused plea of Gopal Ansal, seeking more time to surrender and ordered the real estate baron to undergo the rest of his jail term in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy. The apex court directed senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani, who appeared for Ansal, to ask the real estate baron to complete the rest of his jail term. A three-judge bench had last month granted relief to his brother Sushil Ansal considering his advanced age-related complications by awarding him jail term already undergone and had asked younger sibling Gopal to surrender in four weeks to serve the remaining jail term. The Supreme Court sentenced Gopal Ansal to one-year jail term on February 9, while, his elder brother Sushil was ordered to skip prison term citing old age and ill-health. At least 59 people died of asphyxia and over 100 others were injured in the stampede after fire broke out in Uphaar cinema on June 13, 1997, during the screening of J.P. Dutta’s film "Border".