The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to Mukhtar Ansari, a gangster-politician and former MLA, in a case dating back to 2007 that was registered under the Gangsters Act.
Ansari had appealed against the order of a special MP-MLA court in Ghazipur, which had sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh in April of this year.
The court, while granting bail, also stayed the fine. However, it did not stay the conviction in the matter, indicating that this aspect would be considered at a later stage.
Despite being granted bail, Ansari will remained in prison as he faces numerous other charges. In June of this year, he was handed a life sentence in a murder case by a Varanasi court.
During the hearing, Ansari’s counsel argued that the Gangsters Act had been applied to him based on his alleged involvement in the 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishna Nand Rai, a case in which he had already been acquitted. The appellant’s legal team also contended that Ansari had already served more than 10 years in custody during the trial itself, making it unjustifiable to keep him incarcerated even after conviction. The state counsel opposed the bail plea, citing ample reasons to keep him in jail. Following arguments from both sides, the high court reserved its order. In the same gangster case, Ansari’s brother, Afzal Ansari, received a four-year jail sentence from the MP-MLA court.