The Delhi High Court on Tuesday quashed summons against real estate tycoons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case for allegedly threatening a complainant.
Justice S.P. Garg quashed the trial court order that issued summons against them on a complaint of Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) convener that they abused her.
However, the court put two employees of the Ansals, Deepak Kathpalia and P. S. Sharma, on trial under section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
Neelam Krishnamurthy, convener of the AVUT which represents the victims and families of those killed in the Uphaar Cinema fire of June 13, 1997, was allegedly abused by Ansal brothers and two of their employees.
The high court in July 2007 had stayed the summons issued by the lower court against the Ansals and their two employeeson their plea seeking quashing of summons.
Krishnamoorthy had alleged that the two employees of Ansal brothers had abused and threatened her at the behest of their employer.
She had alleged that her pictures were taken on May 10, 2007, when she was coming out of the courtroom of trial court, where trial against the Ansal brothers and others was on for their alleged culpability in the June 13, 1997 tragedy.
Krishnamoorthy had lost her two minor children in the fire in which 57 others were asphyxiated during the screening of Hindi blockbuster "Border".
