NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Thursday urged a court to award life imprisonment to real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal, among others, for tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire case that claimed 59 lives.
On October 8, the court had convicted Ansals, a former court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma and individuals PP Batra and Anoop Singh, in the case. Two other accused, Har Swaroop Panwar and Dharamvir Malhotra, died during the trial. Police urged Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma to award maximum punishment to the convicts, claiming the ‘offences proved against them are of gravest of its kind and has ultimately shattered the faith of the common man in the justice delivery system.’
Additional public prosecutor of Delhi police, AT Ansari told the court, ‘It is this faith of common man which has been a casualty in this case. This case has ultimately shattered the trust of the common man in the justice delivery system. It is this strength of judiciary is sought to weaken by the convicts.’ He added, “By tampering with evidence forming part of judicial records, convicts sought to hamper and scuttle the legal process of law. They have not only polluted the stream of justice but they have also potentially undermined the majesty of rule of law,” police said.
Ansari added that the possibility of reform cannot be expected from Ansals, who were held guilty previously as well. While convicting the accused in the present case, the court had found the Ansals and HS Panwar had hatched a conspiracy to destroy the most vital piece of evidence collected by the CBI against them in the main case. It said that Ansals had taken the defence in the main case that they had no involvement in the day-to-day functioning of Uphaar Cinema.
‘Past shows no scope for redemption’
The lawyer for Delhi Police asserted that the possibility of reform cannot be expected from the Ansals, who were held guilty previously as well, for destroying evidence collected by the CBI against them.