Uphaar Fire Tragedy: Justice to be announced on Oct 22

NI Wire

New Delhi

Wed, 05 Sep 2007: 

Sep 05: The Delhi Court on Wednesday has postponed its announcement of verdict on Uphaar trial to October 22. The court was expected to take its judgment on the accused who have been charged on careless management of the theatre and hence for culpable homicide . Irsquo;s almost 10 years and 3 months but the families of the victims who fight for their right to get justice will have to wait till Oct 22 for the final verdict.

June 13, 1997 and Friday as the day and date is considered as an evil combination brought all misfortunes for the family members who lost their near and dear ones at Delhi’s famous Uphaar cinema hall. A fire broke out during the premier of movie border celebrating India’s fifty years of Independence but leaves 29 families in dark and despair for the rest of their lives. 59 people died due to suffocation and 100 injured in that tragic incident.

However, later findings revealed that the incident occurred due to the negligence of the cinema hall management and also the municipal body who instructed to install an electric transformer in a private property, the Uphaar basement. Unfortunately transformer burst and the fire spread surrounding the theatre and also covering the car parking that was overloaded from its usual 15 in numbers. As the transformer belonged to the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) the public agency also came under scanner.

Soon after the findings the CBI chargesheets against sixteen persons including the Ansal brothers Gopal and Sushil Ansal who own the property of Uphaar; the members of cinema hall management and also public agencies like MCD, PWD for illegally renewing license of the cinema hall. Since then the families of the victims who later made an association to fight for their cause, to share shoulder to cry and to live the rest of their lives as one family are still fighting for justice.

Our justice system again bent in front of the money owners and on April 24, 2003 the Delhi High Court orders Rs 18 crore in compensation to the victims. The Ansals has to bear 55% of the amount and the rest by municipal authority and the power company. However, that case is still in Supreme Court.