The SC on Wednesday had ruled that Ansal brothers, convicts in the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy, will not be sent to the jail. However, the court imposed a fine of Rs 60 crores on them, to be paid to Delhi government, which will decide what has to be done with the money. The real estate barons - Gopal and Sushil Ansal were convicted in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has expressed its deep disappointment on the Supreme Court judgment. The party has decided to make its stand public since the case has raised extremely serious questions about the way criminal justice is delivered, though it would have desisted from commenting on any judgment in normal course, said a party statement.
“The final outcome in the case which lingered on for 18 years has led to the public impression that it is a travesty of justice, given the scale of tragedy and magnitude of negligence which was a result of political-bureaucratic-corporate nexus,” the statement added.
“Though it appears the CBI, which was handed over the case will file a review petition against this verdict, the AAP is of the opinion that much more is required to restore the faith of families of the victims in the country’s justice delivery system, which appears to have been shattered as is clearly indicated by the widely reported anguish of affected family members,” the statement said.