The Supreme Court has asked the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) to personally visit trauma centres built using Rs 60 crore paid by the Ansal brothers. The bench emphasized ensuring proper facilities while resolving the long-standing dispute over the 1997 fire tragedy funds.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) to personally visit the trauma centres that were built using funds, including Rs 60 crore, paid by the Ansal brothers in memory of the victims of the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and N Kotiswar Singh told senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing AVUT, to
“depute someone to visit the trauma centres, which the Delhi government has claimed were constructed from the funds including Rs 60 crore paid by Ansal brothers.”
The bench further suggested that AVUT could work toward resolving the long-standing dispute, noting,
“You visit these trauma centres and if anything needs to be strengthened, then court can pass necessary directions,”
and added that the association
“might try to give a decent burial to the dispute as there was no point reminding the people about the tragedy.”
Mehta responded by highlighting the non-compliance of the court’s 2015 directions, saying,
“It appears that Rs 60 crore has gone into the blackhole,”
and claimed that the convicts, Gopal Ansal and Sushil Ansal, had
“taken the benefit of the leniency shown by the court.”
He also pointed out that the court had directed the Delhi Vidyut Board to allot 5 acres of land for the construction of the trauma centres, which was not done.
The bench then asked additional solicitor general Archana Pathak Dave, appearing for the Delhi government, whether the Ansal brothers had actually paid the Rs 60 crore.
Dave confirmed in the affirmative and said that the amount
“was utilised in three hospitals – Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Mangolpuri, Satyawadi Raja Harish Chander Hospital, Narela, and Siraspur Hospital.”
Mehta clarified that AVUT was not denying the construction of these hospitals and trauma centres by the Delhi government and acknowledged that it is the state’s responsibility to provide such facilities.
However, he stressed,
“but the question was over Rs 60 crore.”
Justice Surya Kant remarked on the scale of the contribution, saying,
“Rs 60 crore was nothing but ‘peanuts’ as compared to the cost of constructing and running a hospital in Delhi in today’s time,”
while noting that the state government had added additional funds to operate these facilities.
When Mehta attempted to refer to the 2015 judgement to reiterate the court’s directions at that time, the bench clarified that it was
“not in review and was only concerned with the construction of the trauma centre.”
The bench instructed Mehta to verify whether the trauma centres were equipped with proper facilities in addition to emergency response services and ambulances.
Earlier in August, the Delhi government had informed the apex court that the Rs 60 crore paid by the Ansal brothers for constructing a trauma centre in memory of the 1997 Uphaar fire victims
“has been utilised at three government hospitals.”
The government explained that these hospitals were chosen based on urgent public need in high-density and underserved areas of Delhi.
The affidavit further stated,
“While the original direction of this court referred to the construction of a trauma centre at a suitable location in Dwarka, at the time there existed no GNCTD hospital in Dwarka where such a trauma centre could be established.”
It added that Indira Gandhi Hospital in Sector 9, Dwarka, became operational on May 10, 2021, with a total bed capacity of 1,241, including 330 ICU beds, and is fully functional, benefiting residents of Dwarka and surrounding areas.
The Delhi government highlighted that it had gone beyond the original court directions by establishing trauma centres at three different locations to maximize public benefit.
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AVUT, however, argued that although about 10 years had passed since the fine amount was deposited with the office of the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi, on November 9, 2015, the trauma centre directed by the court “remained a nonstarter.”
The Supreme Court’s 2015 directive had mandated that the trauma centre must be completed within two years in memory of the fire victims in the Dwarka area.
Case Title:
ASSOCIATION OF VICTIMS OF UPHAR TRAGEDY Versus SUSHIL ANSAL AND ORS.
Case Numbers:
MA 743-745/2025 in Crl.A. No. 600-602/2010
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