MUMBAI, March 16: The Bombay High Court today confirmed life imprisonment for the three prime accused in the Chhaya Liquor Bar tragedy, which caused the death of 93 persons due to sale of spurious liquor on December 31, 1991.The division bench of Justice A P Shah and S S Parkar dismissed the appeal of the three convicts. The court ruled the prosecution had successfully established the conspiracy hatched by the three accused. The convicts include Chhaya Bar owner Chandrakant Baburao Pawar, manager Uday Vithoba Kadam and liquor supplier Ramniklal C Desai.
It was alleged that liquor consumers in the bar were served spurious liquor, containing methyl alcohol, on the evening of December 31. While 93 died, the tragedy caused serious injuries to 56 others. The bar is situated at Forgett Street, Gamdevi.
After the Sessions Court convicted the accused for offences committed under the Indian Penal Code and the Bombay Prohibition Act, they moved the High Court. They argued they didn't intend to kill or causeinjury to any of the bar consumers. However, the prosecution, represented by advocates Satish Borulkar, D N Salvi and D S Mhaispurkar, argued that methyl alcohol was being consistently mixed in the liquor served at Chhaya Bar 18 months before the tragedy. Empty bottles of methyl alcohol were seized from the liquor bar's godown at Hazi Kasam building. The prosecution argued that all the prime accused had full knowledge of the contents of the liquor and therefore no ignorance can be claimed by them. The High Court has now upheld the sentence of life imprisonment granted by the Sessions Court to the three accused.
Interestingly, the prosecution had particularly relied on the Supreme Court verdict (E K Chandrashekhar vs State of Kerala) which had convicted the accused in a similar liquor tragedy which had claimed innocent lives on the festive day of Onam in Kerala.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
