Ansal booked in passport fraud case

NEW DELHI: The city police on Wednesday informed the Delhi high court that an FIR has been lodged against real estate baron Sushil Ansal for not disclosing the details of the criminal cases pending against him to obtain a passport in 2013.

The police also told the court that besides Sushil Ansal, who was convicted of the Uphaar cinema fire incident in 1997, three other police officials have also been named in the first informa- tion report for giving a favourable verification report despite the criminal cases pending against Ansal.

The affidavit filed by the police has also stated that when “clear” verification report was given to Ansal in 2013, three criminal cases — including the Uphaar fire tragedy matter — were pending against him.

The court was also told that current enquiry had revealed that 163 general complaints and 21 complaints under section 156(3) of the CRPC are also pending against Ansal after 2017 according to a report given by the SHO Tilak Marg.

The court was given the information while hearing a plea moved by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), through its chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorthy, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged criminal misconduct by passport and police officials in issuing the travel document to Ansal.

Krishnamoorthy, who lost her two children in the tragedy, has been fighting a legal battle on behalf of the victims’ families for over 20 years now.