THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Prayagraj, July 29: The Allahabad High Court on Monday overturned the conviction and four-year sentence of MP Afzal Ansari in a Gangster Act case by a Ghazipur court. With this decision, the threat to Afzal Ansari’s parliamentary position has been eliminated, and he will remain an MP.
This case was filed against Afzal following the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005. Additionally, the court dismissed the appeals by the Uttar Pradesh government and Krishnanand Rai’s son, Piyush Kumar Rai, to increase Afzal’s sentence in the same case.
Ghazipur court had sentenced Afzal to four year jail in April 2023
Justice S.K. Singh, while hearing the case, passed an order to overturn the decision of the Ghazipur court. On April 29, 2023, the MP-MLA court in Ghazipur had found Afzal guilty under the Gangster Act and sentenced him to four years in prison, along with a fine of one lakh rupees.
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The court also found Afzal’s brother, Mukhtar Ansari, guilty and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Consequently, Afzal was disqualified as an MP, after which he filed an appeal in the High Court.
Allahabad HC granted bail to Afzal in July 2024
The High Court granted bail to Afzal on July 24, 2023, but refused to stay his conviction in the case. As a result, he was released from jail, but his parliamentary position was not restored.
Additionally, he became ineligible to contest future elections since his sentence exceeded two years. The Allahabad High Court had reserved its decision in this case on July 4, 2024.
