By IANS
New Delhi : A Delhi court Wednesday deferred till Oct 22 its verdict on the Uphaar fire tragedy, in which 59 people were killed while watching a film in the south Delhi hall 10 years ago, on grounds that the judgment was not yet ready.
Additional Sessions Judge Mamta Sehgal, who had fixed Sep 5 for delivering the long awaited verdict and had reserved her argument on Aug 21 after conclusion of arguments by all parties, stated that she was “overwhelmed” with the voluminous documents and admitted that she needed more time to deliver the verdict.
In her short order, detailing the reasons for deferring the verdict, she said that she was midway through writing the long awaited verdict, which involves closely scrutinising nearly 45,000 pages of various documents, including deposition by various parties and judgements in relevant old cases.
The postponement of a decision on the case, which has seen many ups and downs since the June 13, 1997 tragedy, disappointed the family members of the victims who had gathered at the Patiala House court complex here.
But they took the delay in their stride, hoping it may be the case of justice delayed and deferred, but not denied eventually.
Shekhar Krishnamoorthy and his wife Neelam, who lost their two children Unnati and Ujjwal that Black Friday, said: “Yes, we are a trifle disappointed. But we are hopeful that we will eventually get justice.”
The Krishnamoorthys, who had been spearheading the campaign for justice through the Association of the Victims of the Uphaar Tragedy, said: “We are accustomed to such minor hiccups in our path. We have been attending almost every court hearings at various courts, including the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court in quest of justice.
“We realise that these delays are the part of the country’s judicial process. But we are confident that finally we will get the justice.”
Kamal Bhalla, who lost her husband, a 1971 war veteran, in the tragedy, said tearfully: “I was quite hopeful that our endless wait would end today. But hoping that justice will not be denied eventually, I am prepared to wait for another 35-45 odd days.
“My husband, who emerged victorious in the real life 1971 war, lost his life in a reel life war,” she added, remembering her husband who died while watching the first show of “Border” – a story about the 1971 war.