The Supreme Court sentenced Gopal Ansal, owner of Uphaar Cinema in New Delhi, to one year imprisonment in the fire tragedy case. He was given four weeks to surrender and undergo remaining seven months imprisonment.
Sushil Ansal's sentence was reduced to time already undergone in view of his advanced age. The court refused to review its earlier order of letting off Sushil Ansal with a period already undergone in jail.
Each brother was fined Rs 30 crore and the court said that the total amount will be used to set up a Trauma Centre.
In its earlier order, the apex court had let off the Ansals with jailtime undergone previously and Rs 30 crore as fine.
The earlier order was partially reviewed by a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Goel. While Gogoi and Joseph agreed to review, Goel refused.
Sushil Ansal was given lenient sentence due to age-related ailments while his brother Gopal was not as progressed in age and neither did he have ailments.
In the Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy 20 years ago, 59 people died and 100 were injured.
Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy led by Neelam Krishnamoorthy told the Times of India that she is deeply disappointed with the verdict. Krishnamoorthy said the moneyed people appear to have some special right to get away lightly from the courts. Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two young children in the fire, said the SC has deeply disappointed her.
She also said coming to the court was the biggest mistake of her life. "Lost faith in judiciary, we have been let down very badly, this was a futile exercise. Rich and powerful enjoy special powers," she said.
"If I had picked gun to seek revenge my children, I would have been out after serving sentence of 14 years and would have been in peace," she said. "More than 20 years, the prime of my life, I gave to fight for justice. And this is what I got from the courts," Krishnamoorthy said.
