Mukhtar Ansari's Son Moves Supreme Court Seeking His Transfer From UP Jail Apprehending Threat To Life; Refers To Atiq Ahmed's Murder

Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari's Son, Umar Ansari has moved the Supreme Court apprehending 'imminent and serious threat' to his father who is currently lodged in Banda Jail in Uttar Pradesh.

The writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution seeks transfer of Ansari, a former MLA, to any jail outside Uttar Pradesh in a state ruled by any party other than the BJP. Umar Ansari's plea alleges that his family members have been targets of persecution by the State and that he has received reliable information that his father's life is in grave danger as there is a conspiracy afoot involving people within the state establishment to assassinate him in Banda jail.

Mukhtar Ansari is an accused in the case involving the murder of BJP leader Krishnanand Rai and various other cases. The plea states that out of the persons accused in the murder, four persons have already been murdered.

“..a number of persons accused, along with the Petitioner's father, in the murder of the BJP leader Krishnanand Rai have similarly been killed in a manner suggesting the complicity of the Special Task Force (STF), Uttar Pradesh. Though all the accused persons in the said case of the murder of BJP leader Krishnanand Rai have been acquitted by the court, the ruling dispensation continues to view all the accused persons, including the father of the Petitioner, as culprits and BJP leaders in the state have time and again sworn vengeance from public platforms,” the plea states.

Umar Ansari's plea states that the modus operandi of the assassination would be such that 'hired killers' would be arrested by the police in some petty crime and taken to Banda Jail where his father is lodged. This would give them proximity to his father. These hired killers will be provided access to arms inside jail and an opportunity by way of a lapse in security systems to attack Ansari, making it look like an incident of 'gang-war', the son's plea claims. Umar Ansari also claims that his plan is likely to be executed before the 2024 General Elections for political mileage, and most likely in the month of December 2023 itself.

The plea also states that Mukhtar Ansari's wife had approached the Allahabad High Court and the High Court had enhanced security for Ansari acknowledging the threat to his life. However, Umar Ansari claims that this security would not suffice to protect his father's life anymore.

“Although the Petitioner's father was granted protection by the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, it is clear from recent episodes in the State of Uttar Pradesh that the police authorities in the State are often complicit in the crimes that have been carried out against political persons in custody. Anti- social elements in the State have been emboldened enough to commit murders within full public view and moreover, on live television, in the presence of media and the police such as in the case of Late Atique Ahmad. It is clear that there is an emerging pattern in these custodial killings where persons belonging to the political opposition are the main targets. Moreover, an investigation of police records by The Indian Express has revealed that since between March 2017 to May 2023, the state has witnessed 186 encounters i.e. one alleged criminal has been killed by the Uttar Pradesh police every 15 days” the plea states.

The plea also points certain recent instances such as 1) an undertrial Shahnawaz, who was killed in December 2019, in the course of being produced before the court  2) Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim who were shot dead in April 2023 while being escorted by police officers for a routine medical check-up. This murder was even captured on live television.

The plea also highlights that Meraj Ahmad, one of the co-accused with Ansari in a case under Maharashta Control of Organized Crimes Act, 1999 was shot dead inside a high-security barrack of Chitrakoot District Jail in UP in May, 2021.

Case Title: UMAR ANSARI V. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH