CBI moves SC for enhanced punishment to Ansals:Uphaar tragedy

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday admitted the CBI's appeal challenging the Delhi High Court's decision to reduce the sentence imposed on real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal besides nine others held guilty in 1997 Uphaar cinema tragedy in which 59 cinegoers were killed.

A bench of Justices S B Sinha and Mukundakam Sharma said it would take up the matter for hearing in July after senior counsel Harish Salve appearing for CBI urged the apex court to fix an early date for commencing the hearing.

The CBI has filed the appeal challenging the alteration in conviction and reduction of sentence by the Delhi High Court on December 19, 2008. The sentence for the Ansals was reduced to one-year as against the two-year sentence imposed by the sessions court.

The High Court had also acquitted five of the accused held guilty by the sessions court and reduced the sentence on four others.

According to CBI, the high court had "erroneously" altered the conviction and reduced the sentence despite the fact that the sessions court had on November 20, 2007, rightly held some of the them guilty for offences under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and the Ansal brothers under Section 304A (causing death due to rash and negligent acts) besides other sections.