MOSCOW, November 16 - RAPSI, Diana Gutsul. The Lefortovsky District Court's ruling has come into effect to force the Investigative Committee to open a criminal case against the officials who allegedly committed violations during the storm of the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow in 2002, attorney Igor Trunov told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) on Friday.

The court earlier satisfied Trunov's appeal, having recognized as unlawful the refusal to open a criminal case and obligated an investigator to remove the violations.

In October 2002, 40 terrorists held over 900 people hostage at the theater. After three days of negotiations, security forces released an undisclosed gas into the theater to sedate the terrorists and stormed the building. The gas is said to have caused the deaths of 130 hostages.

The committee earlier refused to open a criminal case against the officials who allegedly broke the law during the storm. In response to the committee's refusal, Trunov filed a complaint with the court to hold them, and the investigator for top priority cases, liable for failing to consider his charges.

The committee has stated that politician Boris Nemtsov's request to open a similar criminal case was also refused on December 31, 2002. The reason given at the time was that no officials took actions that constituted a crime. The committee sees no grounds to reverse the decision.