1997 Uphaar Tragedy: Delhi HC Questions Gopal Ansal Last Minute Request for Travelling Abroad

The Delhi High Court asked Gopal Ansal, a real estate tycoon convicted in a case related to evidence tampering in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire trial, for his last-minute request to travel abroad. The court stated that it couldn’t make a decision on the application without giving the state an opportunity to respond.

Gopal Ansal informed the court that he needed to travel to Bangkok from September 28 to October 3 for a business meeting. Justice Jyoti Singh expressed concern about the last-minute request and the lack of time for the state to respond, saying, “Tell me why have you come at the last moment? You have come at the last moment, without giving any time to the state to respond. You have not given any time to the court also. You will have to postpone your visit. I cannot decide the application without giving them time to respond.”

The counsel for Gopal Ansal explained that his client had renewed his passport on September 23, which is why he approached the court for permission on short notice. He argued that the delay would render the plea meaningless as he was scheduled to travel on Thursday.

The state’s counsel contended that Gopal Ansal’s previous application for passport renewal was approved after his lawyer committed to seeking permission before traveling abroad. Now, he had approached the court at the last moment to prevent the state from having time to respond or verify his claims about the foreign visit.

After some deliberation, Gopal Ansal’s lawyer informed the court that his client would postpone his foreign trip by a few days and submit an amended travel schedule. The court then issued notice to the state, asking for a status report on the application, and scheduled further hearings for October 12.

Gopal Ansal, 75 years old, had previously filed an application to renew his passport, citing the need for foreign business meetings. This application was part of a pending petition in which he sought to overturn his conviction and sentence for evidence tampering. He has already served his jail term in connection with the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire incident.

In addition to Gopal Ansal, his brother Sushil Ansal, former employee P. P. Batra, and former court staff Dinesh Chandra Sharma have also approached the high court seeking to set aside their convictions and sentences related to evidence tampering.

The Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) has filed a petition in the high court seeking an enhancement of the punishment for the convicts in the evidence tampering case.

A magistrate court had awarded seven-year jail terms to the Ansal brothers on November 8, 2021. However, the sessions court modified the sentence on July 19, 2022, ordering the release of Sushil and Gopal Ansal, Sharma, and Batra after considering the time they had already spent in prison since November 8, 2021. The court also imposed fines on them.

While upholding the conviction of the Ansal brothers, the trial court had acquitted co-accused Anup Singh in the case. This case pertains to tampering with evidence in the main Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case, in which the Ansals were initially sentenced to a two-year jail term by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court later released them on the condition that they pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each for constructing a trauma center in Delhi.

The Uphaar cinema fire, which occurred during a screening of the Hindi film ‘Border’ on June 13, 1997, resulted in the loss of 59 lives.