New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of Gopal and Sushil Ansal in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy in which 59 people were killed.
A top court bench was, however, divided on enhancing the punishment of the Ansals, and referred it to a three-judge bench.
Here are the latest updates on this story:
The Supreme Court said a contemptuous disregard to law by the owners of Uphaar had led to the loss of lives
Ansals were more concerned about making money than ensuring the safety of cinemagoers, the judges said, agreeing with a Delhi High Court verdict holding the brothers guilty of causing death due to negligence.
The court also noted that the owners changed the layout of the movie hall to make money, which made escape more difficult.
"The deaths were mainly due to the inability of the victims to exit the cinema complex, which led them to suffocate to death," the judges said.
But the two judges differed on a plea by victims' relatives for tougher punishment for the Ansals and referred it to a three-judge bench, saying the decision must be guided by logic, not emotion. "We have to avoid taking the proverbial pound of flesh from the accused," said the court.
59 people were killed when a fire engulfed the Uphaar cinema during the screening of the film Border on June 13, 1997.
After a long trial, the Ansal brothers, who owned the theatre, were found guilty of causing death by negligent act by a Delhi court.
The trial court sentenced them to two years' rigorous imprisonment in November 2007. But in December 2008, the Delhi High Court reduced their sentences to one year.
In October, 2012, Sushil Ansal apologised to a woman who lost both her children in the tragedy. Neelam Krishnamurthy has been fighting for years for fair compensation and punishment.
The CBI and Association for Uphaar victims have challenged the alteration in conviction and reduction of sentence.
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