Finally, a judicial verdict in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case. All the 12 accused in the case have been convicted. The verdict of guilt on all of the accused underscores their shared responsibility - whether as owners of the cinema hall, officials granting permission or managers overseeing its maintenance and functioning - in creating the conditions that resulted in the tragedy. The fire in the cinema hall might not have been intentional but it wasn’t fully an accident either. It was waiting to happen. The owners of the cinema hall compromised on public safety to cut costs and blatantly violated rules. Officials ignored safety standards in issuing permits. The court has done well to take note of this and pin responsibility on those who did not accord public safety priority over private gain. For the 28 families who lost their near and dear ones - 59 people died - in the cinema theatre tragedy, it has been a long, agonising wait for justice. They have waited for ten years to hear the court pronounce the accused guilty. It is a matter of concern that in a case with few complications, the delivery of justice has been much delayed.
While the court is yet to sentence the guilty, it does seem that those who bore the most responsibility for the mishap will get away lightly. The cinema hall owners as well as officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Fire Services have been charged with endangering the personal safety of other people while the cinema hall employees have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. While the former could get a maximum prison sentence of two years, the latter could get upto 10 years in prison.
As a woman who lost two children in the tragedy has pointed out the sentence awarded to someone killing a chinkara is more severe than that for those responsible for the death of 59 people. This is indeed absurd. The delayed justice and the skewed sentencing in the Uphaar case reveal deficiencies in the system of justice. These are issues that must be reviewed. The verdict in the Uphaar case is not the end of the journey for the families of the victims. They are expected to appeal against the verdict. They must be applauded for their perseverance over the past ten years and for their continuing determination to see justice fully done.
Finally, a judicial verdict in the Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case. All the 12 accused in the case have been convicted. The verdict of guilt on all of the accused underscores their shared responsibility - whether as owners of the cinema hall, officials granting permission or managers overseeing its maintenance and functioning - in creating the conditions that resulted in the tragedy. The fire in the cinema hall might not have been intentional but it wasn’t fully an accident either. It was waiting to happen. The owners of the cinema hall compromised on public safety to cut costs and blatantly violated rules. Officials ignored safety standards in issuing permits. The court has done well to take note of this and pin responsibility on those who did not accord public safety priority over private gain. For the 28 families who lost their near and dear ones - 59 people died - in the cinema theatre tragedy, it has been a long, agonising wait for justice. They have waited for ten years to hear the court pronounce the accused guilty. It is a matter of concern that in a case with few complications, the delivery of justice has been much delayed. 
