By IANS,
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday sought more time from a city court to file its reply on a plea of the families of the Uphaar cinema fire victims, challenging its clean chit to former police officer Amod Kanth who allegedly allowed extra seats in the theatre.
District and Sessions Judge S.P. Garg allowed the plea and slated the matter for hearing on Aug 29.
The CBI was to file its reply over the application of Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), challenging the agency’s report that it did not find anything incriminating against the former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to prosecute him.
In its report, it had said that there was no witness to the fact that it was Kanth who allowed extra seats in the theatre for any consideration.
Kanth, then Deputy Commissioner of Police (Licencing), had allegedly allowed retention of 37 extra seats in the theatre in 1979 in violation of the Cinematograph Act. These extra seats had consequently blocked the exits at the balcony of the theatre where 59 movie-watchers died of asphyxia as they could not escape when fire engulfed it during the screening of a Hindi movie June 13, 1997, the court had observed in its verdict in 2007.
The AVUT had sought that the CBI report be rejected and demanded Kanth be tried for alleged complicity in the offence.