India's top court orders one-year jail to cinema owner after fire kills 59

India's Supreme Court Thursday sentenced an owner of a cinema hall in Indian capital city Delhi to one year jail term in connection with a deadly fire which killed 59 people.

The fire in Uphaar cinema hall on June 13, 1997 at Green Park area of South Delhi had also wounded more than 100 people during the screening of a Bollywood movie.

"The Supreme Court today directed real estate businessman and owner of Uphaar Cinema in Delhi Gopal Ansal to serve one year jail term in connection with the 1997 fire tragedy case in which 59 people had died," a court official said.

The court asked 69-year-old Ansal to surrender within four weeks to serve the jail term. However, the top court gave relief to his elder brother Sushil Ansal, 77, considering his advanced age.

The deaths and injuries inside the cinema hall were caused due to asphyxia, burns and subsequent stampede. Investigators had found basic fire safety appliances in the cinema broken and exit routes blocked by owners to add more seats.

Earlier in 2007, a court had found Ansal brothers guilty of causing death due to negligence in the case.

Subsequently in 2015, the Supreme Court imposed a fine of 4 million US dollars. However, India's main investigating agency and association of parents of Uphaar tragedy victims then described the verdict "lenient" and appealed against it.

Meanwhile, the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) convenor N Krishnamoorthy Thursday criticised the verdict, saying that the rich have special rights to kill the children of ordinary citizens and walk away after paying some money.

"If this kind of judgement somebody is going to get after killing 59 people, then I think it is not worth coming to the court. It is a futile exercise. If they have to give a verdict like this, they should have told us, we wouldn't have even filed the review," Krishnamoorthy told media. Endit