New Delhi, November 21, 2007 -  A Delhi court on Wednesday deferred the pronouncement of quantum of punishments in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy case, a day after convicting all the 12 accused, including the two Ansal brothers. The hearing will continue tomorrow and the court will likely announce the quantum of punishments by November 23.

When the hearing resumes tomorrow, the lawyers for Ansal brothers will try to convince the court to award as less punishment as possible to their clients, while the prosecution will argue for awarding maximum punishment for the convicts.

The relatives and friends of the victims, who waited for over a decade for justice, have already said they were “disappointed” with the too “mild” verdict.

Delhi’s Patiala House Court yesterday found all 12 accused, including the two Ansal brothers, guilty in the case, more than 10 years after a fire at Uphaar cinema hall in Delhi claimed 59 lives during the screening of Hindi movie ‘Border’.

The court found theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal guilty of flouting rules under Section 304A (causing death by rash and negligent act) and some other provisions of the IPC pertaining to endangering human lives by causing hurt. Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal also held the Ansal brothers guilty of violating the Cinematography Act and said they had not adhered to proper fire safety norms to maximise profits. Both the theatre owners now face a maximum punishment of two years and a fine.

Besides Ansals, MCD officials Shyam Sunder Sharma and N D Tiwari and Delhi Fire Service Officer H S Panwar were also convicted under sections 304A and 337 and 338 of the IPC, which pertain to endangering human lives. The three officials were accused of giving no objection certificates for Uphaar, bypassing norms.

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