Delhi Court Moves to Charge Uphaar Tragedy Convict Sushil Ansal in New False Passport Case
Sushil Ansal faces fresh charges for allegedly hiding criminal convictions to renew his passport.
A Delhi court has ordered the framing of criminal charges against real estate baron Sushil Ansal in a 2019 case for allegedly submitting false declarations to obtain and renew his passport. Chief Judicial Magistrate Shriya Agrawal ruled on November 28 that there is prima facie evidence to try Ansal under Sections 420, 177, and 181 of the IPC and Section 12 of the Passports Act. The next hearing for formal framing of charges is fixed for January 13, 2026.
The court found that Ansal deliberately concealed his 2015 conviction in the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy, in which 59 people died, while applying for a Tatkaal passport in 2013 and renewing it in 2018. The judge noted that the real estate tycoon not only hid pending cases and the conviction order but also provided incorrect previous addresses to prevent detection of his criminal record. These misrepresentations induced the Regional Passport Office to issue and renew the passport.
The court rejected Ansal’s claim of “unintentional mistake,” stating that subsequent admission cannot erase earlier culpability, especially since he used the passport for years. Defence arguments of lack of proper complaint and double jeopardy were dismissed; the case arose from Delhi High Court directions, and administrative penalties by the passport authority do not replace criminal prosecution.
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Neelam Krishnamoorthy, chairperson of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), welcomed the order and pointed out this is the third criminal case against Ansal after the main Uphaar tragedy and evidence-tampering convictions. She questioned repeated concessions granted to him on grounds of old age, stressing that Ansal was 74 when he allegedly renewed his passport with false information without court permission.
AVUT, which played a key role in initiating these proceedings, has been allowed to assist the prosecution. The case highlights continuing legal battles surrounding the Ansals more than 28 years after the Uphaar fire that exposed serious safety violations in the cinema owned by the Ansal brothers.
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