By IANS
New Delhi : Former Delhi Vidyut Board employee and convicted in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy, Vir Singh, Monday approached the Delhi High Court challenging his sentencing, and said the Ansal brothers, owners of the cinema hall, were responsible for the 1997 fire that killed 59 people.
Singh, sentenced to seven years in prison, has been convicted under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) read with section 36 of the Indian Penal Code.
Singh in his plea said the Ansal brothers were responsible for the tragedy as additional seats had been installed in the hall at their behest. At the time of the incident on July 13, 1997, most of the deaths had taken place due to stampede as the exit ways were blocked with extra seats.
He also claimed that he did not repair the transformer, the root cause of the fire, in the basement of the hall on that fateful day as held by the lower court.
Former Delhi civic official, N.D. Tiwari, convicted in the case, also approached the Delhi High Court challenging his sentencing.
Tiwari was held guilty under section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code by a city court last year and sentenced to two years’ jail. The high court is likely to hear his plea Tuesday.
The Delhi High Court last week granted bail to real estate tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal and two others.
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 were Nov 23 awarded a two-year jail term for causing death due to their negligent act.
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 Vir Singh (Delhi Vidyut Board officials) — were held guilty for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and 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.