HC asks Ansals to reply to police’s plea on enhancing punishment in evidence tampering case

New Delhi

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal to respond to Delhi Police’s plea seeking enhancement of punishment for allegedly tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire case, which claimed 59 lives.

The tampering with evidence was detected for the first time on July 20, 2002, and a departmental inquiry was initiated. A local court had awarded seven-year jail term to the real estate barons on November 8, 2021. However, on July 19, 2022, a sessions court modified the order on sentence and ordered their release.

The sessions court had imposed a fine of ₹3 crore each on Sushil and Gopal. Later, the Delhi police challenged the order releasing them. Subsequently, the High Court has asked the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) to submit its response to Delhi police’s plea and fixed the matter for hearing on April 13, when other related petitions have been listed.

Last year, Sushil had moved the High Court challenging his conviction in the evidence tampering case. Meanwhile, the AVUT too has filed a petition in the High Court to increase the punishment for the convicts in the same case.