SC asks Delhi govt to file reply in Uphaar case

New Delhi, Feb 15: The Supreme Court today directed the Delhi government, Delhi Police Commissioner and the ACP, Economic Offences Wing, to file their replies within four weeks on a bail petition filed by a record keeper (Ahlemad) accused of destroying evidence in the Uphaar tragedy case.

A Bench, comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices B P Singh and D K Jain, issued the direction on a petition filed by Dinesh Chand Sharma, who was dismissed from service on June 25, 2004, and was subsequently arrested following accusations of illegally removing papers from the case file of the trial court, hearing the case, to destroy evidence. Sharma is still in judicial custody.

The accused was granted bail on December 4, 2006, but the Investigaing Officer of the case moved a pettition seeking cancellation of the case on the grounds that he was capable of tempering with the prosecution evidence, thereby hampering the investigation.

The petitioner had repaid the money he allegedly received from the benefeciaries.

The petitioner had, however, contended that the CBI used to keep the keys of the trunks containing documents and he had no access to them and, therefore, the questition of papers being removed by him did not arise.

Sixty eight people had lost their lives when a fire broke out in the Uphaar theatre in South Delhi on June 13, 1997. Sushil Ansal, Gopal Ansal and H S Parmar are the main accused in the case. The theatre is owned by the Ansals.

UNI