 Four of the accused died, and eight witnesses, mostly relatives of Ansals turned hostile witness, despite the High court responding to AVUT's plea and asking the trial court in 2002 to expedite the case.Meanwhile, as the criminal trial dragged on, in 2003, a presiding judge commented upon the repeated requests (for adjournment) as being intended to delay the case.Almost nine years after the tragedy, a trial court judge visited the Uphaar cinema hall in August 2006, accompanied by CBI officials who investigated the case to get a first-hand look at the seating and fire safety arrangements, which have been blamed for the tragedy.