The Hindu : New Delhi News : “I feel cheated and lost after 11 years of struggle”

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“I feel cheated and lost after 11 years of struggle”

Staff Reporter

– PHOTO: PTI

Neelam Krishnamurthy, who lost her kids in the Uphaar fire tragedy, in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: “I feel cheated and lost in the battle against justice for the Uphaar fire tragedy victims after fighting, for eleven long years, against all odds that our system puts in the way of a common man”, was the reaction of Neelam Krishnamurthy to the 534-page verdict pronounced by the Delhi High Court in the Uphaar fire tragedy case on Friday.

Ms. Krishnamurthy, who had lost her teenaged son and daughter in the tragedy, was specifically very sharp on the Court taking into account that the Ansal brothers -- Gopal Ansal and Sushil Ansal -- had no criminal background, their education qualifications and their so-called respect in society while commuting their sentence from two years to one year.

She said that Justice S. Ravindra Bhat of the Court had not considered the conduct of the accused persons during trial of the case. She further stated that the trial court had found sufficient material against them to order their charge-sheeting for allegedly tampering with evidence in the fire tragedy case.

The two brothers are still facing trial in that case.

The Supreme Court had cancelled their bail granted by the High Court on her petition on the ground of the charge of tampering with evidence against them, saying that interference with evidence was a more serious offence than heinous crimes, she stated.

Recounting her trials and tribulations during the case, Ms. Krishnamurthy said that she was humiliated, ill-treated, offered money and subjected to tremendous torture.

“I have a feeling that the judicial system in our country is tilted in favour of economically mighty people and the court is biased against the poor,” Mr. Krishnamurthy stated. In her appeal against the trial court judgment, Ms. Krishnamurthy through her organisation, the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), had sought trial of the Ansal brothers on the more harsh charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

She declared that she would go in appeal in the Supreme Court against the High Court judgment.

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