How this Delhi couple has been fighting for justice for over 26 years

June 13 1997 was like any other day until it wasnrsquot JP Duttarsquos Border was playing in theatres and Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthyrsquos daughter Unnati and son Ujjwal went to catch the 3 pm show at Uphaar Cinema in Green Park DelhildquoMy daughter kissed me goodbyerdquo recalls 65yearold Neelam ldquoand said lsquoMom I have left my lippie on your cheekrsquo I responded saying it is okayrdquo Then she and her husband had lunch ldquoAs we were leaving home Shekhar said lsquoArenrsquot you going to remove thisrsquo And I did There are days when I wish I hadnrsquotrdquoConsidered one of the worst tragedies in the country the fire at Uphaar Cinema took 59 lives including that of the 17 and 13yearolds About 103 people were injuredAbhay Deol and Rajshri Deshpande play the couple in Trial by FireldquoThey didnrsquot have to die they all could have exited unscathedrdquo says Neelam ldquoAll they management of the cinema hall had to do was raise an alerthelliprdquo However series of dysfunctional processes culminated in the tragedy The public announcement system didnrsquot work the emergency light was out one exit door was blocked by an eightseat private box for the proprietorrsquos family The gangways were also obstructed by extra seats The entry door for balcony seating was locked from outside to avoid people without tickets enter the cinema hall ldquoHad the manager alerted Delhi Fire Service instead of moving the cars and cash it would have been differentrdquo says the distraught motherThe parents accused the brothers Sushil and Gopal Ansal who owned Uphaar Cinema of neglect and have been fighting them in court for 26 years A part of this struggle was documented in the 2016 book Trial By Fire Penguin Random House which is now a Netflix series helmed by Prashant Nair starring Abhay Deol and Rajshri DeshpandeldquoTo be honestrdquo confesses Neelam over a Zoom call from Delhi ldquoI wasnrsquot keen on it screen adaptation I have become very averse to the medium and havenrsquot watched any films But Shekhar and some friends said this story could inspire others and thatrsquos the only reason that I agreedrdquoPrashant Nair Neelam Krishnamoorthy and Shekhar KrishnamoorthyThe couple saw the series just a few days ago ldquoThey sent us the link many days agordquo say the Krishnamoorthys ldquobut we couldnrsquot open it and when we did we switched it off in 10 minutes But then we gathered some courage Thatrsquos all we have been doing all these yearsmdashgathering couragerdquoThe series they say is sensitive ldquoI didnrsquot want it to be melodramatic or have masalardquo says Neelam ldquoIt has succeeded in showing how ordinary people struggle for justice in this country which runs at the speed of a bullock cartrdquo ldquoWe had anticipated the legal process to take a couple of yearsrdquo adds her 66yearold spouse ldquobut didnrsquot know it would take so longrdquo Over the years the parents have been advised to move on ldquoAt least now we will be able to show our faces to our childrenrdquo says their father adding ldquoWherever they are As parents it is our duty to get justice for our childrenrdquoDirector Prashant Nair read the book in 2019 He was moved to the point of outrage by the lengths the couple had to go through They went to Uphaar cinema to see where their children sat and understand the violations to strengthen their case But he was also inspired by how the Krishnamoorthys stood up against all odds ldquoIf they can find that strength we hope others can toordquo says Nair adding that they endeavoured to capture the minutiae of the combat ldquofor the audience to understand why went to court again and again It was a huge sense of responsibilityrdquoThe last 26 years have changed dramatically for the Krishnamoorthys They used to run a business together but now ldquospend more time in courtrdquo ldquoInitiallyrdquo says Neelam ldquoI didnrsquot know anything and would feel handicapped I would go to the court only to find the matter was adjourned and didnrsquot know whyrdquo They began reading all the legal documents understanding the Code of Criminal Procedure Indian Penal Court bylaws etc to know what rules were violated so that they could assist their counselldquoWhen children are born your lives revolve around themrdquo says Neelam ldquoYou donrsquot stop being a mother if your children arenrsquot thererdquo Though the justice system has failed them repeatedly the couple says their fight is far from over ldquoI lost faith in the justice system in August 2015 when the Supreme Court allowed them to walk free after paying a fine of R30 crore each for a trauma centre in the main case But it was restored in October 2021 when the metropolitan magistrate convicted the Ansals But they filed an appeal and the sessions judge allowed them to walk free on the grounds of old age It didnrsquot pronounce them not guilty it convicts them beyond reasonable doubt but their seven years of imprisonment was reduced to eight months and 12 days on the grounds of old age I felt cheated but we arenrsquot giving uprdquo