New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court would hear the Uphaar cinema fire case appeals filed by convicts, including theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal, on a day-to-day basis from on Monday.
Justice S Ravinder Bhatt, who had earlier expressed reservation over hearing the case on the ground that his former associate was involved in one of the cases of Uphaar cinema, has agreed to hear the appeal after all the parties expressed no objection.
All the convicts along with Delhi Police and association of victims' families filed their affidavit in the court stating that they have no objection in Justice Bhatt hearing the case.
Earlier the appeals filed by convicts, including theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal, were being handled by Justice H R Malhotra, who has held 40 hearings since February this year.
The Supreme Court in its September 10 order cancelled the bail of the Ansal brothers and four others and asked the High Court Chief Justice to constitute an ",appropriate", bench for the appeal proceedings.
The trial court on November 20, 2007 had convicted the Ansal brothers along with three others under Section 304-A IPC (causing death due to rash and negligent act) and had sentenced them to two years' imprisonment.
Seven others including Ajit Chowdhary and Nirmal Chopra, managers of the theatre, were convicted under Section 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.