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Kejriwal to meet kin of Uphaar cinema victim a day after SC judgement

by IBNS 21 Aug 2015, 07:10 am

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IBNS) A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his displeasure over the Supreme Court verdict that spared the owners of Uphaar cinema hall a jail term for the devastating fire in 1997, he will meet a close kin of two of the victims on Friday, reports said.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Sushil and Gopal Ansal, who owned the cinema, will not be jailed and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs. 60 crore to be used by the Delhi government to build a new trauma centre.

Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party, led by Kejriwal, has said, "The Supreme Court judgment... has let down the country... much more needs to be done to restore the faith of families of the victims in the country's justice delivery system."


At Uphaar, routes to fire exits had been blocked to make room for extra seats. This turned the cinema hall into a veritable death trap when the fire broke out on June 13, 1997, during the screening of a Bollywood film.  Most of the 59 people killed were trapped in the balcony and died of asphyxiation. More than 100 people were injured.

 The Ansals were found guilty of causing death by negligence, which carries a maximum jail term of two years.

 In its order, the Supreme Court restricted their jail term to the period they have already spent in prison.

Sushil Ansal was jailed for five months and Gopal Ansal for four immediately after the tragedy.