Uphaar cinema fire case: No relief for Gopal Ansal, SC asks him to surrender immediately

The Supreme Court today refused Gopal Ansal`s plea seeking more time to surrender and asked him to undergo rest of the jail term in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined Uphaar theatre owner Gopal Ansal's plea for granting him more time to surrender and asked him to undergo rest of the jail term in connection with the 1997 fire tragedy that had claimed over 100 lives.

''Sorry, we can't," said a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul as senior counsel Ram Jethmalani urged the court to give a few more days to Ansal to surrender.

Citing reasons for rejecting his plea, the apex court bench said that Gopal Ansal had already approached the President for mercy and pardon.

The apex court had earlier asked Gopal Ansal to surrender to undergo the remaining part of his sentence in the Uphaar fire tragedy case.

A huge fire broke out at the Uphaar cinema hall when Hindi movie "Border" was being screened on June 13, 1997. 

Trapped inside, 59 persons died of asphyxia and over 100 were injured in a stampede.

For 20 years, the case has dragged on.