Justice delayed and denied

The verdict in the Uphaar theatre fire case is a clear pointer to why life is considered cheap in India. Unless the fire was caused by force majeure rather than human negligence in handling electricity and infrastructure maintenance, those responsible had to pay an exemplary price for playing with the lives of others. In this case, negligence was even more as the victims were innocent people seeking entertainment.

Justice has not only been delayed in this case, it has been denied too. It seems every legal artifice has been used to protract the proceedings so that the initial blood-boiling anger cooled and by judgement time the loss of life was all but forgotten. A fine of Rs 30 crore each on two owners may seem on the high side, but the point to ponder is whether a financial sanction is ever enough to compensate for the lives lost.

Big business has a way of ducking responsibility by using money to defend itself. While legal defence is a right, it is apparent this verdict is nowhere near serving the real ends of justice. Those who fought after losing their kin in the fire will feel the loss the most. No amount of money can bring the dead back. If further appeals drag on, it will only serve as a reminder of the deadly tragedy without serving the purpose of establishing in law how guilty people must be brought to justice.