The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the transfer of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Mukhtar Ansari from Ropar Jail in Punjab to Uttar Pradesh’s Banda Jail, Live Law reported. The gangster-turned-politician has several criminal cases pending against him.
The bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that Ansari should be handed over to Uttar Pradesh within two weeks. It directed the superintendent of Banda Jail to provide medical facilities to Ansari.
The court’s order was based on a petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh government, seeking Ansari’s transfer. The Adityanath-led government had told the court that many serious offences were pending against Ansari. It also accused Punjab of protecting him on false medical grounds.
The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict in the case on March 4. During that hearing, Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave argued that the cases filed against Ansari in Uttar Pradesh dated back to 15 years, but those in Punjab were recent.
Also read: UP has no fundamental right to seek Mukhtar Ansari’s transfer from Punjab jail, his counsel tells SC
Ansari had also filed a counter-petition, arguing that one state cannot prosecute another one in a writ petition under Article 32, which allows individuals to move to the Supreme Court in case they feel their rights have been “unduly deprived”.
Ansari, a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Mau district, has been in the Ropar jail for over two years. He was sent to custody in Punjab in connection with an extortion case, India Today reported.
Ansari is also an accused in the murder of former Uttar Pradesh MLA Krishna Nand Rai in 2005. He has avoided 26 warrants issued by a court in Prayagraj, citing medical reasons, the news channel reported, citing the UP government’s affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.
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