Ansals move HC for quashing summons

New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) Owners of the Uphaar cinema and convicts in the '97 Uphaar fire tragedy case, the Ansal brothers today moved the Delhi High Court praying for quashing the summons issued by a lower court for alleged tampering with, removing and mutilating important documents related to the decade-old case.

A city court had in February issued notice to the Ansal brothers to appear before it on May 2 in connection with the charges levelled against them by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police.

Hearing the petition, Justice S L Bhayana issued notice to the EOW, Delhi Police to reply on May 22.

On January 19, the EOW filed a supplementary charge-sheet against the Ansals and HS Panwar, a former Delhi Fire Service employee, Prem Prakash Batra, an employee of the Ansals owners and DV Malhotra and Anoop Singh, who were employed with a security agency hired by the Ansals.

The EOW has already charge-sheeted Dinesh Chandra Sharma, a clerk in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal for removing and tampering with papers related to the case in collusion with the Ansals.

The charge sheet was prima facie made out against the Ansals on the ground that Prem Prakash Batra had helped clerk Sharma secure a job after his dismissal from the court service at twice the normal salary in A-Plus security agency.

The agency also provides security services to a company under the control of the Ansals, the charge-sheet said.

UNI SSS AKJ HT1905