New Delhi: A city court will pronounce sentences on the 12 convicts, including real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal, in the Uphaar cinema hall fire tragedy case today afternoon.
After hearing the arguments from both sides yesterday, Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal said she would pronounce the sentences at 3pm today.
The 1997 fire in the south Delhi cinema hall had claimed 59 lives.
Prem Kumar, counsel for Gopal Ansal, continued his arguments over the quantum of sentence as they remained inconclusive on Wednesday. He stated that his client was innocent as he was not directly involved in the tragedy.
He also pleaded that a person could be reformed even without putting him behind bars, adding that Gopal and Sushil Ansal have contributed a lot to the country's economy and that civilised citizens should be released on probation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation's counsel Vikas Bawa expressed his wish to argue on the quantum of sentence, but the court refused to hear them. He later submitted a written submission to the court.
Long legal battle
For Neelam Krishnamurthy, who lost her two children in the fire, it was like light at the end of a tunnel after leading a legal battle for the past 10 years.
The court has convicted theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Similar charges were imposed on N.D. Tiwari and Shyam Sunder Sharma. The other convicts are Radhakrishnan Sharma, Nirmal Singh Chopra, Ajit Chaudhary, Manmohan Unniyal, Brij Mohan, Anand Kumar Gera, Vir Singh and Har Swaroop Pawar.
