In an evidence tampering case, a Delhi court sentenced Sushil and Gopal Ansal, the owners of Uphaar theatre, to 7 years in prison on Monday.
It also fined both of them Rs 2.25 crore.
“After thinking overnights and nights, I have come to the conclusion that they deserve punishment,” said Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM), Patiala House Court, Dr Pankaj Sharma, while pronouncing the judgment.
The Ansals had already been found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court. In August 2015, the Supreme Court freed the two and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each.
In February 2017, the Supreme Court granted relief to 78-year-old Sushil Ansal, citing his “advanced age-related problems” by reimbursing him for the time he had previously served in prison. However, the court had asked his younger brother Gopal Ansal to serve the remaining one-year jail term.
A fire broke out in the Uphaar cinema in Green Park, South Delhi, on June 13, 1997, midway through the screening of the Hindi film “Border,” killing 59 people in one of the deadliest tragedies.
(With IANS inputs)