New Delhi: More than 12 years after the harrowing inferno that snuffed out 59 lives and injured 103, the Supreme Court is expected to deliver its verdict on Thursday on the quantum of compensation to be awarded to the victims of the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy.
The Delhi High Court had ordered the theatre owners and the Delhi government to pay Rs 25 crore as compensation to the victims kin, both parties had challenged this.
The court will decide on the petition of Ansals and Municipal Corporaton of Delhi that challenged the order of Delhi high court that ordered a compensation of approximately Rs 25 crore.
The Association of Victims of Uphaar Fire Tragedy (AVUT) have sought a civil compensation from Ansal Theatre and Clubotels Ltd., which owned the theatre, and the Delhi government alleged 'negligence' on their part led to the fire in the cinema hall.
The verdict of this case came on April 24, 2003, and the Delhi High Court found owners of the Uphaar cinema, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Vidyut Board (electricity Board) (DVB) and the licensing authority 'guilty of negligence', and awarded Rs 25 crore (Rs 250 million) civil compensation to the relatives of victims, which included Rs 15 lakh each to the relatives of the victims, less than 20 years at the time of the tragedy and a sum of Rs 18 lakh each to those, above 20 years.
SC had in 2009 directed disbursement of Rs 5.34 crore as compensation among the kin of the dead and those injured in the fire that engulfed Uphaar cinema in 1997.
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