The Supreme Court today ordered real estate baron Gopal Ansal to serve a one-year jail term in the two-decade-old Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case. The verdict was pronounced by a three-judge bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel by majority of 2:1.
Ansal has already served four months of punishment while his brother Sushil Ansal has already undergone his jail term.
The majority verdict was passed by Justices Gogoi and Joseph while Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel was in minority.
The top court pronounced its order on pleas seeking review of the 2015 order in the case asking Gopal and Sushil to serve a two-year jail term if they fail to pay Rs 30 crore each as fine.
However, the apex court gave relief to Sushil Ansal considering his advanced age by giving him the jail term already undergone by him, including the remission, in the case.
The majority verdict pronounced by Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Kurian Joseph said that fine of Rs 30 crore each imposed on Sushil and Gopal by the apex court earlier was ‘not excessive’.
The apex court delivered the judgement on the pleas of CBI and the victims' body seeking a review of the 2015 verdict in the case asking Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal to serve a two-year jail term if they fail to pay Rs 30 crore each as fine.
The probe agency and the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) had sought review of the apex court verdict, delivered on August 19, 2015, sending Ansal brothers to two years rigorous jail term if they fail to pay Rs 30 crore each within three months. The convicts have already paid the fine.
59 people had died of asphyxia when a fire broke out during the screening of Bollywood movie 'Border' in Uphaar theatre in Green Park area of South Delhi on June 13, 1997. Over 100 were also injured in the subsequent stampede.
