Allahabad HC Adjourns Afzal Ansari’s Criminal Appeal Hearing to July 2

The Allahabad High Court has adjourned the hearing of a criminal appeal filed by Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari till July 2, 2024.

Ansari is challenging his conviction and four-year jail term handed down by a trial court in a Gangsters Act case. The case was lodged against Ansari following the 2005 killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Krishnanand Rai.

Additional Appeals and Revisions

In addition to the criminal appeal, the court is also hearing an appeal filed by the Uttar Pradesh government and a criminal revision moved by Krishnanand Rai’s son, Piyush Kumar Rai, seeking an enhancement of Ansari’s sentence.

During Monday’s hearing, Ansari’s counsel, Upendra Upadhyay, informed the court that an objection had been filed before the registry on behalf of the appellant against Rai’s criminal revision and the government’s appeal. Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh then adjourned the hearing of the criminal appeal till July 2.

Initial Conviction and Sentence

On April 29 of the previous year, an MP-MLA court in Ghazipur sentenced Afzal Ansari to four years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him in the Gangsters Act case. Ansari’s younger brother, Mukhtar Ansari, was also sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment.

Disqualification & Appeal

Following his conviction, Afzal Ansari was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. He subsequently filed a criminal appeal before the high court. On July 24, 2023, the high court granted bail to the two-time MP and five-time former MLA but declined to stay his conviction. Consequently, although Afzal Ansari was released from jail, his membership in Parliament was not restored, and he was disqualified from contesting future elections, as the jail term awarded to him exceeded two years.

However, the Supreme Court later stayed his conviction. As a result, his membership in Parliament was restored, and he also became eligible to contest the Lok Sabha election.

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