New Delhi, September 10
The Supreme Court today cancelled the bail of Ansal brothers, Sushil and Gopal, who have been sentenced to two years in jail by the trial court in the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy case, and asked them to surrender by 4 pm tomorrow.
The apex court also cancelled the bail granted to Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, managers of the theatre, who were awarded seven years of imprisonment.
The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justices B N Agarwal and G S Singhvi on a petition filed by the Association of Victims of the Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) challenging the bail granted by the Delhi High Court on January 4 this year.
The apex court cancelled the bail of the brothers, observing that they did not deserve it because of their conduct during the trial. “The managers should also not have been given bail as they have been sentenced to a rigorous imprisonment of seven years,” the Bench said.
The Judges directed the High Court to hear the appeals on a daily basis and for the whole day and dispose of the case expeditiously.
Neelam Krishnamurthy, whose two children were killed in the accident, welcomed the apex court order, stating the cancellation of the bail to the two rich builders would restore the faith of the common man in the judiciary.
The Ansal brothers and three others were convicted under Section 304-A, IPC (causing death due to rash and negligent act). Seven others, including Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, were convicted under Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
Others convicted under Section 304 were — Radha Krishan Sharma, Manmohan Unniyal (gatekeepers at the theatre), Brij Mohan Satija, AK Gera and Bir Singh (all DVB officials).
Three other convicts — S S Sharma and ND Tiwari of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and H S Panwar of the Delhi Fire Service — were also sentenced to two years.
