SC to consider curative plea in Uphaar fire tragedy case

The Supreme Court will on Thursday consider in-chamber the curative plea of the Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) in Uphaar cinema where a fire killed 59 people during the screening of Hindi movie 'Border' on June 13, 1997.

A three-judge bench, by a 2:1 majority verdict on February 9, 2017, had given relief to 78-year-old Sushil Ansal considering his "advanced age-related complications" by awarding him the jail term which he had already undergone.

It had had however asked his younger sibling Gopal Ansal to to serve remaining one year jail term in the case.

"The Judgment enhances the sentence awarded by the High Court from one year of rigorous imprisonment to two years of rigorous imprisonment for each of the convicts but erroneously substitutes the additional one year of sentence with a fine of Rs 30 crore on each.

"Further, the Judgment also reduces the sentence of one year on Sushil Ansal to the period of sentence already undergone if the fine imposed is paid by the convict in view of his advanced age," the curative plea said.

The curative plea would be considered in-chamber by a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices N V Ramana and Arun Mishra at 1.40 PM on Thursday.