Uphaar fire case: Court strict on CBI’s closure report on former IPS Amod Kanth, sought status report
The famous Uphaar fire incident of 1997 in Delhi (The efforts of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to close the case against former IPS officer Amod Kanth in the Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy 1997 case have now come under the monitoring of the court. Taking CBI’s efforts to close the case under judicial scrutiny, a Delhi court has directed the agency to file a status report by June 1. This case is related to the massive fire that broke out at Uphaar Cinema located in Green Park on June 13, 1997, in which 59 people died during the screening of the film ‘Border’.
It is alleged that Amod Kanth, as the then Deputy Commissioner, had allowed additional seats in the Uphaar cinema hall in the late 1970s. It is said that this change caused the corridors to become narrower or obstructed, which later proved extremely fatal. On June 13, 1997, smoke spread rapidly due to a fire that broke out during the screening of the film ‘Border’ at Uphaar Cinema located in Green Park.
The Supreme Court had canceled the proceedings in 2023
This matter has gone through many ups and downs over the years and has reached the Supreme Court. On April 20, 2023, the Supreme Court canceled the lower court proceedings in this case. The court had given this decision on the basis of lack of necessary sanction for prosecution. However, the top court had also made it clear in its decision that its order would not create any hindrance in the competent authority taking a decision in the case or giving sanction against the accused as per law. After this comment, now the case has once again reached a new stage, where the court has sought a status report regarding the CBI’s efforts to close the case.
What did CBI say?
The CBI recently moved the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate T Priyadarshini to accept its 2009 closure report. The agency also said that it is not seeking sanction for prosecution in this case. This petition was opposed by Neelam Krishnamurthy, President of Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT). He argued on April 23 that closing the case was not in the interest of justice as it involved allegations of serious negligence. Neelam Krishnamurthy lost her two teenage children in this accident. After hearing the arguments, the court directed the CBI to file a status report in the case. Also, the next hearing of the case has been scheduled for June 1.
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