Uphaar fire: victims move High Court for speedy trial against Ansals

NEW DELHI: The Uphaar cinema fire victims today moved the Delhi High Court seeking an order to a lower court for a day-to-day trial of a case against theatre owners for allegedly tampering with the evidence in the 1997 incident in which 59 people were killed.

Justice Veena Birbal issued a notice to Delhi Police and sought a status report about the case before a trial court on a petition filed by the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy seeking speedy trial of the case which is pending before the trial court since 2006 against Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil Ansal and also a court staff Dinesh Gupta.

At least 59 people died of asphyxia following a fire in the basement of Uphaar cinema hall on June 13, 1997.

In the plea, the victims said "because tampering and mutilation of a judicial file is an egregious offence against the entire justice delivery system and as such the case (titled State vs Dinesh Chandra Sharma) deserves to be tried expeditiously in a time-bound manner with utmost priority on a day-to-day basis."