Reject Ansal’s mercy plea: govt

Convict in Uphaar case had submitted petition to President

The Delhi government on Tuesday recommended that the President reject the mercy petition filed by Gopal Ansal, one of the convicts in the Uphaar Cinema fire case.

Convicted for negligence

Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil Ansal, the owners of Uphaar Cinema in south Delhi, were convicted of negligence that caused the death of 59 people in a fire that engulfed the cinema in 1997.

While Sushil Ansal escaped jail term due to his age, Gopal Ansal was sentenced to one year in prison. After the Supreme Court rejected his plea, he surrendered at Tihar Jail in March.

Families meet CM

He later filed a mercy petition before the President.

On Tuesday, Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain recommended that the President reject the petition that was sent to the government for comment via the Ministry of Home Affairs.

This was after the families of the victims met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday and asked him to reject the mercy plea.

‘Govt cares’

Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the president of the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy and the mother of two children who died in the fire, said that the Delhi Government rejecting the convict’s mercy plea “shows that it cares for safety in public spaces”.