NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has permitted the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) to assist the prosecution in a fraud case involving businessman Sushil Ansal, convicted in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire that killed 59 people.
The order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Shriya Agarwal on August 4, following an application filed by AVUT chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who raised concerns over the investigation and the filing of the chargesheet in the case.
Ansal was booked by Delhi Police’s crime branch in 2019 for allegedly suppressing information while seeking renewal of his passport. He was charged under Section 12 of the Passport Act and IPC sections 177 (furnishing false information), 181 (false statement on oath), 192 (fabricating false evidence), 197 (false certificate), and 420 (cheating).
The case was registered based on directions from the Delhi High Court while hearing a writ petition filed by AVUT. “The Association at the instance of which the law was set into motion in the present case ought to get a right of assisting the prosecution, to which there is no bar in law,” the judge said, adding that AVUT was free to aid the prosecution and that such assistance would not prejudice the accused. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa noted that the case stemmed from a writ petition filed by AVUT, making a strong case for their active involvement.
In its final report, police claimed that Ansal misled authorities under oath by declaring he had not been convicted in any criminal proceedings. The report added that he surrendered his passport on August 14, 2017, “because he knew that adverse orders against him may well be passed”.
Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two children in the fire, has continued to fight for justice on behalf of the victims for more than two decades.