New Delhi:
At first came the news that many families were hoping for -- that the Ansals are indeed guilty. And then, just minutes later the shock that this was far from a victory. The Ansals' time in prison was reduced to one year exactly half what an earlier verdict had sentenced them to.
Neelam Krishnamurthy, who lost 2 children in the Uphaar fire, and has led the campaign for justice broke down for the first time in 11 years of attending every court hearing. ",It's a travesty of justice. I have lost faith in the system. There is no place for victims in this country,", she said.
(Watch)The court did blame the Ansals for failing to ensure the safety of hundreds of people by blocking exits in the balcony of their south Delhi theatre. The CBI was also attacked for not investigating the case properly.
Now, because the Ansals have been in jail since September, they need to spend only 8 months more to serve out the sentence. This is a cause for more disbelief among the families.
On the other side, the Ansal family, who used to run Uphaar cinema, says that even though they feel for the victims of the tragedy, they are upset with the court order.
Pranav Ansal, Sushil Ansal's son, says: ",We are sorry for what happened 11 years ago Our heart goes out to the family members. We are upset with the High Court order We are being targeted because we are Ansals.",
In addition to the Ansals, there were 14 other people accused in the Uphaar case. Five of them have died during the trial. Another five were acquitted on Friday. The number include officials from the Delhi Electricity Board, the Municipal Corporation and 2 managers of the Uphaar cinema. None of that means much to the families of those who died in the theatre. They say one year in jail for the Ansals sends the message that corporate responsibility doesn't count for much in India.