New Delhi:
Barely two months after they were sentenced to two years in jail in the Uphaar fire case, a new chargesheet has been filed against the Ansal brothers.
On Friday, the Delhi Police filed an additional chargesheet against the Ansal brothers. They have been charged with destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
If found guilty, they could be sentenced to seven years in jail.
The case goes back to January 2003 when it was first discovered that crucial documents were missing from the trial court's records.
These documents had strong evidence against the Ansals.
There were four cheques signed by Gopal and Sushil Ansal in 1995, 1996 and 1997 as the Managing Directors of Uphaar cinema, as well as the minutes of a meeting presided over by Gopal Ansal in 1997 in his capacity as the Managing Director.
These were significant as the Ansals had claimed they had ceased to be on the Board of Directors of Uphaar cinema in 1988 - which is much before the fire.
While the new chargesheet has come as a blow to the Ansals, it is expected to boost the chances of the victims' families, who have already moved the Delhi High Court for a stricter sentence for the Ansals.