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New Delhi: In a major setback for Ansal brothers— Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal, the Delhi High Court has rejected their plea for suspension of 7-year jail sentence.
Having been found guilty of tampering with crucial evidence, the Ansals were sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and a collective fine of Rs 2.5 cr.
“As far as Ansal brothers are concerned, I am rejecting their application,” said Justice Subramonium Prasad.
The Ansal brothers had appealed against the order. In the meantime, they sought suspension of the sentence. Earlier, the lower court had refused this relief. Now, the Delhi High Court has also refused to suspend their sentence.
About the case:
On November 8, the Patiala House Court had sentenced the Ansal brothers to seven years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2.25 crore on each for evidence tampering in the Uphaar fire tragedy case.
The case pertains to the fire which occurred at Uphaar Cinema, where a fire killed 59 people during the screening of the Hindi movie ‘Border’ on June 13, 1997. The Ansal brothers were the owners of Uphaar Cinema.
In 2015, a trial court had convicted the Ansal brothers.
Allegations of evidence tampering first surfaced in 2003. The public prosecutor had referred to one document, the original of which could not be traced while cross-examining one of the witnesses, as the trial in the main case of Uphaar tragedy was ongoing.
The Ansal brothers, along with a few court staffers, tampered with the important files of the case and removed the pages of some important evidence.
