Uphaar cinema fire:AVUT chairperson Krishnamoorti terms court order releasing Ansals as injustice

New Delhi, Jul 19 PTIAssociation of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy AVUT chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorti on Tuesday termed a Delhi court order releasing real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal in evidence tampering case as injustice and said she had lost faith in the judiciary.Krishnamoorthy, who lost two minor children in the Uphaar fire tragedy, has been fighting legal battles for justice on behalf of the victims families for the last two decades.Representing AVUT, Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, meanwhile, said the Association will certainly appeal against Tuesdays order in the Delhi High Court.This is complete injustice.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI)Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorti on Tuesday termed a Delhi court order releasing real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal in evidence tampering case as “injustice” and said she had lost faith in the judiciary.

Krishnamoorthy, who lost two minor children in the Uphaar fire tragedy, has been fighting legal battles for justice on behalf of the victims' families for the last two decades.

Representing AVUT, Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, meanwhile, said the Association will “certainly appeal” against Tuesday's order in the Delhi High Court.

“This is complete injustice. We cannot have faith in the judiciary if the accused is rich and powerful. I made a mistake by coming to court. The system is corrupt. This is very disappointing,” Krishnamoorti told the judge, before storming out of the courtroom.

A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered the release of real estate tycoons against the jail term already undergone by them since November 8 in a case of tampering with evidence in the case related to the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire, which had claimed 59 lives.

“We empathise with you (Krishnamoorti). Many lives were lost, which can never be compensated. But you must understand that penal policy is not about retribution. We have to consider their (Ansals) age. You have suffered, but they have also suffered,” the judge said while pronouncing the order.

Earlier today, during the argument on the quantum of sentence, Krishnamoorti vehemently opposed Ansals' effort to seek leniency citing old age and dependent family, saying, “At least you have a family. I lost both my children to that fire. Even when I die, I'll have nobody to do my last rites.” Later, outside the courtroom, Krishnamoorti reiterated her disappointment with today's order and asked for judicial accountability.

“I want to ask the CJI (Chief Justice of India) What is so special about Ansals that the Supreme Court, as well as sessions court, have allowed them to go for period undergone. Why do you allow cases to prolong for decades and then cite old age while giving relief to the culprits? We need judicial accountability,” she said.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Pahwa said that the punishment awarded by the court on Tuesday was “highly inadequate” and was not commensurate with the magnitude of the crime committed by the Ansals and others.

“The Sentence imposed by the District Judge is highly inadequate and is not commensurate with the magnitude of the crime committed by the court staff, Sushil Ansal, Gopal Ansal, and others. The tampering of the court record is an extremely serious matter and once it is proved beyond reasonable doubt that the evidence from the Records was tampered with to secure acquittal in the main Uphaar trial, the punishment imposed should have been in proportion to the gravity of the offence,” he said.

Pahwa said that due to the lenient approach, society may get an impression that the rich and powerful people can go with such a mild sentence.

“The court completely ignored that they are a previous convict and are facing many cases which are pending investigation and criminal trials. The sentence imposed by the courts is not only to punish the perpetrator of the crime but also to produce a deterrent effect on society at large. With this lenient approach the society may get an impression that the rich and powerful people who interfered with the administration of justice by tampering with evidence can go with such mild sentence,” he said.

Pahwa said that AVUT shall “certainly appeal against the inadequacy of the sentence in the high court.” PTI UK MNR RKS RKS