HC refuses to suspend 7-year jail term of Ansal brothers in Uphaar case

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to suspend the seven-year jail term awarded to real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal in the Uphaar fire tragedy evidence tampering case.

"As far as Ansal brothers are concerned, I am rejecting their application," said Justice Subramonium Prasad.

Last year, Ansals and former court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma and two others — P P Batra and Anoop Singh Karayat — were awarded seven-year jail term by a trial court and the sessions court had refused to suspend the sentence and release them on bail.

Justice Prasad allowed the plea for suspension of sentence by co-convict Anoop Singh Karayat.

While dismissing the Ansals' plea for suspension of sentence till the appeal against the conviction by magisterial court is decided, the sessions court had said that the case was one of the gravest of its kind and the offence appeared to be the outcome of a calculated design on the part of the convicts to interfere with the course of justice.

Before the high court, the Ansal brothers, who were represented by senior lawyers Arvind Nigam, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others, had sought suspension of sentence on several grounds including their old age.

The counsel for Sushil Ansal had contended that the "mutilated" documents were not even relevant to his culpability in the main Uphaar trial and his conviction in the evidence tampering case was a "travesty of justice".

He had highlighted that Sushil Ansal was over 80 years of age and suffered from various ailments. Gopal Ansal's counsel had also argued that his client was over 70 years of age and the court should exercise its wide and liberal discretion to release him.

The court was also informed that in the main case, the Ansals were convicted and sentenced to 2-year jail term by the Supreme Court which subsequently released them on payment of Rs 30 crore fine each after taking into account the prison time they had done.