Latest news with #SushilAnsal
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- New Indian Express
Passport case against Sushil Ansal: Court allows victims' body to aid prosecution
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has permitted the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) to assist the prosecution in a fraud case involving businessman Sushil Ansal, convicted in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire that killed 59 people. The order was passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Shriya Agarwal on August 4, following an application filed by AVUT chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who raised concerns over the investigation and the filing of the chargesheet in the case. Ansal was booked by Delhi Police's crime branch in 2019 for allegedly suppressing information while seeking renewal of his passport. He was charged under Section 12 of the Passport Act and IPC sections 177 (furnishing false information), 181 (false statement on oath), 192 (fabricating false evidence), 197 (false certificate), and 420 (cheating). The case was registered based on directions from the Delhi High Court while hearing a writ petition filed by AVUT. 'The Association at the instance of which the law was set into motion in the present case ought to get a right of assisting the prosecution, to which there is no bar in law,' the judge said, adding that AVUT was free to aid the prosecution and that such assistance would not prejudice the accused. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa noted that the case stemmed from a writ petition filed by AVUT, making a strong case for their active involvement. In its final report, police claimed that Ansal misled authorities under oath by declaring he had not been convicted in any criminal proceedings. The report added that he surrendered his passport on August 14, 2017, 'because he knew that adverse orders against him may well be passed'. Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two children in the fire, has continued to fight for justice on behalf of the victims for more than two decades.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Delhi court allows Uphaar victims to assist police in prosecuting realtor in passport renewal case
NEW DELHI A Delhi court has allowed 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy victims to assist the Delhi Police in prosecuting realtor Sushil Ansal in a case accusing him of fraudulently getting his passport renewed. (Shutterstock) A Delhi court has allowed 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy victims to assist the Delhi Police in prosecuting realtor Sushil Ansal in a case accusing him of fraudulently getting his passport renewed. The order was passed by chief judicial magistrate Shriya Agrawal of the Patiala House Court on Monday, allowing a plea moved by Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) under Section 302 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows a court to grant permission—other than to a police officer below the rank of Inspector— to conduct the prosecution in a case. The section essentially ensures that a complainant could participate in the prosecution through their counsel and assist the prosecutor, representing the police. The court said, '…it is observed that the association at the instance of which, the law was set into motion in the present case ought to get a right of assisting the prosecution, to which liberty, there is no bar in law…as opposed to being given the reigns of the prosecution itself, the Association is at liberty to assist the prosecution in the present case'. Sushil Ansal, 77, one of the convicts in the case pertaining to the Uphaar fire mishap, is also accused of getting his passport renewed by concealing his criminal antecedents and not obtaining the requisite no-objection certificate from the court. Following a writ petition filed by AVUT in the Delhi High Court, a case of cheating was lodged by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in 2019. In November 2007, a decade after the tragedy that killed 59 people, a trial court convicted realty tycoons Gopal Ansal and his brother Sushil Ansal, among others, and sentenced them to two years in prison, the maximum sentence the law provides for causing death due to negligence under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In December 2008, the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to one year. In February 2017, the Supreme Court directed the two of them to pay a fine of ₹30 crore each, for the construction of a trauma centre. While Sushil, who spent a little over five months in jail, was let off for the period already served on account of his age (then 77), then 68-year-old Gopal Ansal was directed to undergo one year of imprisonment. In July 2022, a Delhi court convicted the brothers in another case pertaining to the fire, related to tampering with and destroying evidence. The brothers were let off by the court in the case for the period already served by them during the pendency of the case. The case pertaining to passport forgery, where only Sushil Ansal stands as an accused, is currently at the stage of arguments on framing of charges at the Patiala House Courts. In its plea, AVUT, led by Neelam Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two children in the tragedy, represented by senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, highlighted that the victims had been at the forefront of the battle for justice and had closely tracked and assisted all hearings in the previous two cases against the Ansals. The plea also pointed out several grievances in the Delhi Police's investigation and filing of the charge sheet. Meanwhile, Sushil, through his Advocate Gautam Khazanchi, opposed the plea, stating that AVUT had no locus standi to address arguments on charge and prosecute Ansal as they were mere complainants.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: No trauma centre for Uphaar Cinema fire later victims, ₹60cr fine missing
Twenty-eight years after the Uphaar cinema fire claimed 59 lives and wounded over 100 others, the trauma centre promised in memory of the victims remains missing. Victims' families said the absence of the facility — despite ₹60 crore collected from Gopal Ansal and Sushil Ansal, cinema owners who were convicted in the case, nearly a decade ago — on the Supreme Court's orders underscores the indifference to justice and public safety. The trauma centre was to be built in west Delhi's Dwarka within two years of a 2015 SC directive, using fines paid by the Ansal brothers. The plan was clear: the Delhi government was to allocate at least five acres of land and construct a state-of-the-art trauma centre in one of the city's most accident-prone areas. Yet today, no foundation stone has been laid, and the ₹60 crore — now estimated to have grown to over ₹100 crore with interest — remains unaccounted for. 'For decades, we have fought a legal battle for only two things: one, to get justice for our children, and another, that the tragedy can help bring some change,' said Neelam Krishnamoorthy, whose children -- Unnati, 17, and Ujjwal, 13 -- were among the 59 who were killed in the fire in the south Delhi hall where Sunny Deol starrer Border was being screened. She leads the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT). 'We're not asking for favours. All we want is that the fine deposited by the Ansals be used to make the trauma centre, which will be very beneficial for the residents of Delhi and, in times of any incidents like this, can help save lives,' she said. 'AVUT members now fear that we are getting old, we do not know whether we will be here tomorrow or not, and so no one will be there to question the government. Hence, we are raising the issue and want the government to act on it,' she said. In a landmark judgment in August 2015, the Supreme Court, instead of sending the Ansals back to prison, ordered them to pay ₹30 crore each. The court directed the Delhi government to use this money to build a trauma facility in memory of the victims. The order called for a 'Victims of Uphaar Memorial Trauma Centre' with a dedicated burns ward and accident services. The money was deposited with the Delhi government in November 2015. Yet nearly 10 years later, the families say they have been met with silence and bureaucratic apathy. In multiple RTI queries filed in 2019 and again in 2024, departments including the Chief Secretary's office, the health ministry, the law department, and the Directorate General of Health Services responded saying that the information 'is not available' or 'does not pertain' to them. 'The state has neither allotted land nor offered any explanation,' said Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, another AVUT member who lost both children in the fire. 'We are left wondering whether anyone will be held accountable, or if time and delay will again erase the promise of justice.' AVUT has now approached the Supreme Court again, urging it to push for the implementation of its 2015 order. On April 22 this year, the court issued notice to the Delhi government, seeking a response. The next hearing is scheduled for July 16. HT reached out to an official in the chief minister's office for a response, but the official did not respond till the time of going to print. For the families, the centre is not merely symbolic. 'This is not just about memory,' Neelam said. 'This is about public health. This is about preventing the next Uphaar.'
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ED raids Ansal API offices in Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad over Rs 600 crore fraud
LUCKNOW : The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday carried out searches at the Lucknow office of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd (APIL) and simultaneously raided its offices in Delhi , Noida , and Ghaziabad in connection with alleged diversion of over ₹600 crore collected from homebuyers. The action follows a report by the Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority, which uncovered serious financial irregularities by the real estate firm. According to the report, funds from various housing projects were siphoned off and diverted elsewhere, impacting hundreds of investors. A six-member ED team, accompanied by security personnel, scrutinised electronic records, hard drives, financial documents, and bank accounts at the company's Lucknow office. Employees were questioned as part of the investigation. Similar raids were carried out across APIL offices in NCR locations. Promoters Pranav Ansal and Sushil Ansal are facing serious charges, including illegal sale of govt land, investor fraud, and financial misappropriation. Over 70 FIRs have already been filed against the company, which was declared insolvent by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The insolvency process is underway under the CIRP framework. Earlier this month, the Income Tax department also raided APIL's Lucknow premises and seized documents related to alleged tax evasion and suspicious transactions. The company's expansion was previously facilitated through controversial policy relaxations, extending its township licence from 1,335 to 6,500 acres under the 2003 Hi-Tech Township Policy.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ED searches at Ansal API offices in UP cities
Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday carried out searches at the Lucknow office of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd (APIL) and simultaneously raided its offices in Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad in connection with alleged diversion of over ₹600 crore collected from homebuyers. The action follows a report by the Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority, which uncovered serious financial irregularities by the real estate firm. According to the report, funds from various housing projects were siphoned off and diverted elsewhere, impacting hundreds of investors. A six-member ED team, accompanied by security personnel, scrutinised electronic records, hard drives, financial documents, and bank accounts at the company's Lucknow office. Employees were questioned as part of the investigation. Similar raids were carried out across APIL offices in NCR locations. Promoters Pranav Ansal and Sushil Ansal are facing serious charges, including illegal sale of govt land, investor fraud, and financial misappropriation. Over 70 FIRs have already been filed against the company, which was declared insolvent by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The insolvency process is underway under the CIRP framework. Earlier this month, the Income Tax department also raided APIL's Lucknow premises and seized documents related to alleged tax evasion and suspicious transactions. The company's expansion was previously facilitated through controversial policy relaxations, extending its township licence from 1,335 to 6,500 acres under the 2003 Hi-Tech Township Policy.
