New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today extended by a month the deadline of December 2 for the trial court to decide on the issue of framing charges against real estate baron Ansal brothers, Sushil and Gopal, in a case of alleged tampering with evidence in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case.
The High Court had directed the police to register a separate case for alleged tampering of evidence on May 5, 2006, when the trial in the Uphaar tragedy case was on.
The Ansal brothers had moved the court seeking modification of the November 26 high court order directing the trial court to make an “endeavour” to frame charges against them contending the order was passed without hearing them.
Allowing their request, Justice G S Sistani modified the order that the trial court can frame charges against them and another accused Dinesh Gupta within one month. Gupta was the court staff who has been accused of conspiring with Ansals in the alleged tampering case. He was terminated from service.
“The trial court to frame charges by end of December. The prosecution will cooperate...,”the judge said while disposing of the application filed by Ansals and Gupta. The high court had on November 16 directed the trial court to frame the charges against them on December 2 and inform it by December 16.
Ansals told the court that the order was passed in their absence and they should also be given chance to be heard. They also submitted there will be a miscarriage of justice if the charges are framed against them on next date of hearing as the judicial files have insufficient documents.
The court had earlier passed the order on a plea filed by the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy seeking speedy trial of the case, which was pending before the lower court since 2006, against them.
AVUT convenor Neelam Krishnamurthy had told the court that despite the charge sheet having been filed in 2008, the charge is yet to be framed.
At least 59 people died of asphyxia following the fire in the basement of Uphaar cinema hall on June 13, 1997. At present, the evidence-tampering and mutilation of several important documents of the case kept in judicial custody of the trial court here is pending in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Bansal. The matter is listed before the trial court on December 2.
