SC judgement in Uphaar case a travesty of justice: AAP

New Delhi, Aug 21: Terming the Supreme Court's Uphaar case judgement a "travesty" of justice, AAP on Thursday expressed its disappointment saying it has let the country down and raised serious questions about the criminal justice system.

The party said that given the anguish expressed by the families who had waged a long legal battle, a lot needs to be done to restore the faith of families of the deceased in the country's justice delivery system.

It also noted that criminal justice has "eluded" the families of those who died in the incident.

"The Aam Aadmi Party expresses its deep disappointment on the Supreme Court judgement in the Uphaar fire case, which has let down the country. The case has raised extremely serious questions about the way criminal justice is delivered in our country," the party said in its statement.

It said the final outcome in the case which lingered on for 18 years has led to the public impression that it is a "travesty of justice", given the scale of tragedy and magnitude of negligence which was a result of "political- bureaucratic-corporate nexus".

Fifty-nine people, trapped in the balcony of the theatre in South Delhi, had died of asphyxia following the fire and over 100 were injured in the subsequent stampede on June 13, 1997 during the screening of Bollywood film "Border".

Ansal brothers Sushil and Gopal, who owned the theatre, had yesterday escaped being jailed in the 18-year-old gruesome Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy with the Supreme Court asking them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each and restricting their jail term to the period already undergone by them.

While Sushil had spent over five months in prison, Gopal was in jail for over four months immediately after the tragedy.

PTI