New Delhi: A judge hearing the criminal case against former senior IPS officer Amod Kanth for his alleged complicity in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy on Wednesday said he would visit the place of incident before framing charges against him.
"I want to visit the spot, so that I can understand the seating arrangement (in the cinema hall) allowed by the former IPS officer," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Sharma said without specifying the date for his visit to the theatre where 59 movie-watchers died in a blaze that occurred during the screening of Hindi blockbuster `Border`.
A case was registered against Kanth on the order of the court following an application moved by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) accusing him of allowing extra seats in his theatre`s capacity as DCP (Licencing) in the theatre with the knowledge that such a decision would be disastrous during emergency like fire.
AVUT had opposed the clean chit given to the former police officer and contended he should be prosecuted for the serious offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304 of the IPC entailing maximum sentence of life imprisonment instead of section 304(A) which stipulates lighter punishment of only up to two years jail term for causing death due to negligence.
AVUT also alleged CBI was trying to protect its former officer by giving an opinion that there was no negligence on his part.
PTI
