Uphaar fire case: HC seeks Delhi Police's response on plea of Gopal Ansal for passport renewal
Jan 10, 2023
New Delhi [India], January 10 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Delhi Police to file a reply on the plea of Real Estate baron Gopal Ansal seeking renewal of his passport for ten years. His appeal against the conviction and sentence for tampering with evidence of the Uphaar fire case is pending before the High court.
In the Uphaar fire tragedy of 1997, 59 people were killed and over 100 were injured.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued a notice to Delhi Police and the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) on the plea of Gopal Ansal. The court directed them to file a reply within four weeks.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on March 23.
The trial court passed a Judgement on July 18, 2022, upholding the conviction awarded to the Petitioner. The court pronounced the sentence on July 19, 2022 reducing the imprisonment of the Petitioner to a period undergone subject to payment of a fine of Rs 3 crore within a period of seven days.
AVUT also challenged the July 18, 2022 order passed by the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Patiala House Court who had reduced real estate baron Ansal brothers' 7-year jail term to the "period already undergone" in judicial custody in the case.
At least 59 people died of asphyxia and over 100 others were injured in the stampede after a fire broke out in Uphaar cinema on June 13, 1997, during the screening of JP Dutta's film 'Border'.
