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A Delhi Court today sentenced real estate barons Sushil Ansal and Gopal Ansal to 7 years imprisonment for tampering with evidence in the case of Uphaar Cinema fire that occurred in 1997 and had claimed 59 lives.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma also imposed a fine of INR 2.25 crores each on them.

Last month, while convicting the brothers for tampering with evidence, CMM Sharma also held a former court staff Dinesh Chand Sharma and two other people, PP Batra and Anoop Singh, guilty in the case.

Sr. Adv. Vikas Pahwa, appearing for the complainant Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy, had told the Court that the Ansals and Har Swaroop Panwar (another accused who had died during the course of the trial) hatched a conspiracy for destruction of the most vital piece of evidence collected by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against them in the main case.

The Ansals were convicted and sentenced to a 2-year jail term in the main case by the Supreme Court but were later released taking into account the prison time they had served 

The top Court had then directed them to pay Rs 30 crore fine each, to be used for building a trauma centre in the national capital.

Image Credits: Hindustan Times