Court formally frames charges against Sushil Ansal in passport case

Setting the stage for trial, a Delhi court on Saturday formally framed charges against Uphaar fire tragedy convict Sushil Ansal in a separate case for allegedly concealing criminal cases and submitting false declarations to renew a passport.

In December last year, a court had ordered the framing of charges against Sushil Ansal for offences under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 177 (furnishing false information to a public servant) and 181 (making false statement on oath) and Section 12 (offences related to passports) of the Passports Act.  Ansal was booked by the crime branch of Delhi Police in 2019 for allegedly furnishing false information, as he failed to declare his conviction in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy. Ansal brothers, Gopal and Sushil Ansal, were held guilty of causing death due to negligence by the apex court and served one year in jail in connection with the fire at the film hall during the screening of the Hindi film 'Border' on June 13, 1997, that claimed 59 lives. On Saturday, Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta formally framed the charges to which Sushil Ansal pleaded non-guilty and claimed trial.   Ansal appeared through video conferencing as his plea seeking exemption from personal appearance was allowed by the court.

The court has posted the matter for prosecution, submitting its evidence on April 25. Reacting to the order, Neelam Krishnamoorthy, chairperson of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), called the development "not an isolated incident" and said it was the third criminal case against Ansal, who has been "evading accountability. "Each time, he is let off or given concessions on the grounds of 'old age'. But the truth is: he was already 64 when he tampered with judicial records and 74 when he renewed his passport from the authorities by giving false information and without seeking the permission of the court. "How long can one individual continue to commit offence after offence and still evade meaningful accountability? The justice system must send a clear message; repeated wrongdoing cannot become a lifelong escape act," said Krishnamoorthy.

Ansal has already been held guilty in the Uphaar fire tragedy case, where 59 innocent lives were lost and has also been convicted in the evidence-tampering case, "an act that was nothing short of an insult to the courts and the justice system", she said.