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New Delhi: The Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the conviction of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Afzal Ansari in the 2007 Gangsters Act case, outlining specific conditions. Notably, Ansari is restricted from voting in the Lok Sabha and enjoying associated perks, but he is allowed to attend House proceedings.
The Supreme Court has directed the Allahabad High Court to conclude Afzal Ansari’s criminal appeal against conviction and sentence by June 30, 2024. This decision follows Ansari’s sentencing to four years’ imprisonment in May 2023 under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act related to the 2007 case.
The legal saga stems from the 2007 Gangsters Act case, where the elder brother of incarcerated gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, Afzal Ansari, was implicated. The case, originating from the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Krishnanand Rai and six associates in Ghazipur on November 29, 2005, resulted in the filing of charges against both Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari in 2007.
Afzal Ansari, contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket, faced defeat in the 2002 Assembly elections against BJP’s Krishnanand Rai. The recent legal developments add a new chapter to the complex interplay of electoral history and criminal allegations surrounding the Ansari family.
