New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Tuesday fixed
October 24 for hearing a petition filed by the Association of
Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) against the clean chit given
by CBI to former IPS officer Amod Kanth in the 1997 Uphaar
fire case.
District and Sessions Judge S P Garg, after being
informed that the trial court records of the Uphaar fire
tragedy has been traced, fixed the application of AVUT for
hearing on October 24.
The AVUT, led by Neelam Krishnamurthy who herself lost
her two children in the inferno, had sought criminal
prosecution of Kanth for his alleged role in allowing extra
seats in the balcony of the theatre which allegedly led to the
closure of exit gates.
Senior advocate K T S Tulsi would argue the matter on
the next date of hearing on behalf of AVUT and seek rejection
of CBI`s probe report giving clean chit to the officer.
Earlier, the probe agency, in its report, had said
that there was no witness to the fact that it was Kanth who
had allowed extra seats in the theatre for any consideration.
Kanth, the then Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police
(Licencing), had allegedly allowed retention of 37 extra seats
in the theatre in 1979 in violation of the Cinematography Act.
It had consequently blocked the exits at the balcony of the
theatre.
As many as 59 victims died of asphyxia during the
screening of Hindi blockbuster `Border` on June 13, 1997 as
they could not come out due to blockage of exit gates when the
fire engulfed the theatre.
Bureau Report
