Uphaar Cinema fire verdict today

New Delhi, Sept 5: A Delhi court will today pronounce its verdict in connection with the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy case, in which 59 people lost their lives during the screening of a Hindi film.

Additional Sessions Judge Mamata Sehgal had reserved the judgement after getting certain clarifications from the counsel for both the sides.

The Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) had lodged an FIR alleging death due to negligence against prime accused Gopal and Sushil Ansal, owners of the cinema hall.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that the accused were directly and criminally negligent in the management of the theatre.

Senior advocate Harish Salve contended that owners of the cinema hall were liable for penal action.

During the 10-year-old trial, the CBI had examined 115 witnesses. Among them, eight witnesses, termed as relatives of Ansals, have already turned hostile.

Besides Ansals, there were 14 accused in the case. Four accused - - R. M. Puri, K. L. Malhotra (both senior employees of hall), S. N. Dandona (Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department) and Delhi Fire Services officer Surender Dutt - - died during the trail.

Among the other accused, R. K. Sharma, Ajit Chaudhary, N. S. Chopra, Manmohan Uniyal, Shyam Sunder Sharma, N. D. Tiwari, Hanswaroop Panwar, B. M. Satija, A. K. Gera and Beer Singh.

All the accused has been charged under Section 14 of the Cinematography Act.

The CBI had filed the charge sheet on November 15, 1997, and the court had admitted it on January 19, 1998.

Fifty-nine people were choked to death while 109 survived with injuries after the Uphaar Cinema caught fire leading to a stampede on June 13, 1997.

The theatre was engulfed when an overheated generator burst in the basement of the building. Men, women and children all scampered to rush out of the cramped hall with only four exits for an audience of over 500.

ANI>