 Following the inquiry, Union Home ministry transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) amidst charges by victims' families of cover-up, which on 15 November 1997, filed a chargesheet against 16 accused, including theatre owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal, for causing death by negligence, endangering life and relevant provisions of the Cinematography Act, 1952.By 2000, the prosecution had completed the recording of evidence with the testimony of its 115 witnesses.The court case ran for over a decade, and the court had over 344 hearings during the first seven years.