New Delhi, Aug 05: The Delhi High Court today reserved its order on Ansal brothers' plea for releasing the Uphaar cinema hall, where 59 people were killed in a fire during the screening of Hindi blockbuster "Border" here in June 1997. Justice J D Kapoor reserved the order after hearing senior counsel Ram Jethmalani and K T S Tulsi, representing the Ansal brothers and the Association of he Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) respectively. Ansal brothers have challenged a trial court order rejecting their application for Uphaar's release.
Ansals, who have been ordered to shell out Rs 12 crore as compensation to the fire victims by a special bench, want to dispose of Uphaar in order to meet their liability arising out of the April 24 order. Tulsi contended that the cinema hall being the most important evidence in the criminal case relating to the fire tragedy, it should be preserved for the trial court to inspect at "an appropriate stage". Bureau Report