By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Friday granted bail to real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal and two others in the Uphaar fire tragedy in which 59 people were killed a decade ago.
Justice H.R. Malhotra asked the Ansal brothers as well as Shyam Sunder Sharma, who was with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at the time of the accident, and H.S. Panwar, who was divisional officer with Delhi Fire Service, to furnish a personal bond and a surety of Rs.50,000 each.
A day-to-day hearing of the case will begin from Feb 15.
All the four accused were Nov 23 awarded a two-year jail term for causing death due to their negligent act. On the same day, they were granted bail, which would have lapsed Jan 8.
They had approached the Delhi High Court seeking suspension of their sentence till the disposal of their appeals.
Seven others — Radha Krishan Sharma, N.S. Chopra, Ajit Chowdhary (Uphaar managers), Manmohan Unniyal (the cinema’s gatekeeper), Brij Mohan Satija, A.K. Gera and Bir Singh (Delhi Vidyut Board officials) — were held guilty for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and were awarded seven years rigorous imprisonment.
As many as 59 people had died while over 100 others were injured in a stampede following a devastating blaze in south Delhi’s Uphaar Cinema June 13, 1997.