Uphaar tragedy case: Delhi Court reserves order for July 19

The Patiala House Court on Thursday reserved its order on the Delhi Police's plea seeking that real estate tycoons Gopal Ansal and Sushil Ansal should take permission before leaving the country for July 19 in the Uphaar Tragedy case.

The Delhi Police plea came after a magazine 'Tehelka' published a news article regarding Sushil Ansal taking steps to flee from the country as he was selling his properties below the circle rates and transferring money to his foreign bank accounts in the U.K. and Singapore.

Prosecutor Ansari told the court that the news article which was published in December 2016 gives rise to a serious apprehension that the accused may flee from the country during the pendency of the present trial.

Counsel for Ansal brothers opposed the police plea and said that accused are facing trial in the cases since 20 years and have attended court proceedings regularly.

The advocate said that the accused are ready to give undertaking that they will furnish all details whenever they travel abroad and will not hamper the trial in the case.

The advocate pleaded the court to dismiss the police plea saying that it is filed with malafide intentions without validating genuineness of the news article published in the magazine.

At least 59 people died of asphyxia and over 100 others were injured in the stampede after fire broke out at the Uphaar cinema in Delhi on June 13, 1997, during the screening of J.P. Dutta's film 'Border'.

-ANI