India News | Uphaar Fire Tragedy: Tampering with Documents Can't Be Taken Lightly, Police Tells Court

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Disappearance of documents and tampering with evidence in a sensitive case like the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy cannot be taken lightly, Delhi police told a court here on Friday.

The case is related to the tampering with the evidence of the main case in which real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal were convicted and sentenced to two year jail term by the Supreme Court.

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However, the apex court released them on the period already undergone in the jail on the condition that they pay Rs 30 crore fine each to be used for building a trauma centre in the capital.

The Ansal brothers along with a court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma, and other individuals -- P P Batra, Har Swaroop Panwar, Anoop Singh and Dharamvir Malhotra -- were booked in the present case.

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Panwar and Malhotra died during the course of the trial.

“The Uphaar cinema fire tragedy was the most sensitive case of the city at that time. The disappearance of documents and tampering with evidence in such a case can not be taken lightly,” the prosecution submitted before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma.

It said that handpicking several most crucial and material documents from voluminous files running into more than thousand pages pertaining to the “most sensitive case” of the city having international ramification, getting them removed, defaced and obliterate demonstrated the nefarious design and deliberate flagrant act done by the accused persons pursuant to a well planned conspiracy to cover up the crime.

The fire had broken out at the Uphaar cinema during the screening of Hindi film ''Border'' on June 13, 1997 claiming 59 lives.

The case was lodged on the direction of the Delhi High Court while hearing a petition by Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorthy.

The accused are charged with offences under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (abetment), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC. PTI UK SJK

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)