SC dismisses Ansal’s plea in Uphaar case; asks him to surrender on Mar 20

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed realtor Gopal Ansal’s plea for modification of its February 9 order asking him to surrender in four weeks to serve the one-year sentence imposed on him in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case that claimed 59 lives.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered him to surrender on March 20 to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Fifty-nine people had died and many more injured after a fire broke out at Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi film ‘Border’ on June 13, 1997. Most of the victims died due to asphyxia.
On behalf of Gopal, senior counsel Ram Jethmalani said he deserved “a clean acquittal but I am asking for only parity with his brother”–a co-convict who was spared a jail term. Both the brothers have paid Rs 30 crore each as fine.
Jethmalani said Gopal was surviving on charity and deserved to be given parity with his brother as his health condition has worsened.
“My plea should be considered on the ground of humanity and law,” Jethmalani said.
But the bench wasn’t impressed.
The court also dismissed Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy’s petition seeking a review of the top court’s verdict in the review petition after senior counsel KTS Tulsi said he would not like to press it.
In his plea filed barely days before his date of surrender, Gopal (68) had said that the court could not have denied him the relief extended to his brother Sushil because his medical condition was equally bad. Gopal wanted the court to apply principle of parity in his case on the grounds that he had already spent over four months in custody, more than what his brother had.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on February 9 refused to review its order regarding Sushil Ansal (77), who was let off without any prison term after payment of Rs 30 crore fine in view of his old age and health condition.
Both brothers–owners of Uphaar cinema in South Delhi–have already paid Rs 30 crore each as fine which has to be used for building a trauma centre in Delhi.