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Courts have played football with the case. Dribbling to stay in the same place
The earliest legal outcome for AVUT was in 2003: The civil case actually became a landmark judgment because of the large compensation awarded.
The Delhi High Court, after considering the facts of the case and compensation given in other cases, awarded Rs 18 lakh each as compensation to adult victims, Rs 15 lakh each to families of the children who died, and Rs 1 lakh each to the 103 injured.
The compensation would have to be paid by the Ansal Theatre and Clubotels Limited (ATCL) group, the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVP), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the Delhi Police. The Ansals were also directed to pay Rs 2.5 crore to set up a trauma centre. It stands today as the AIIMS Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre in Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave, and is one of the few paramedical institutions in India.
The Ansals, however, filed an appeal almost immediately. They said they didn’t have the funds to pay the compensation, and requested control of Uphaar’s premises to raise the amount. The court denied them permission. In 2011, the Supreme Court responded to the Ansals’ appeal and reduced the amount to be paid to Rs 15 lakh for adults, and Rs 7.5 lakh for children.
It was never about money
But the civil case for monetary compensation, despite being a landmark judgment, is only part of the story. The real fight was taking place in the criminal case.