The Supreme Court has conditionally suspended the conviction of former BSP MP Afzal Ansari in a 2007 Gangsters Act case. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan, delivered a majority verdict, stating that while Ansari won't be allowed to cast his vote in the Lok Sabha or receive any perks, he is permitted to attend the House proceedings. The court has instructed the Allahabad High Court to resolve Ansari's criminal appeal against his conviction and sentence by June 30, 2024, as reported by PTI.
Justice Datta expressed a dissenting opinion, leading to the dismissal of Ansari's appeal. The top court had reserved its verdict on October 31, following the Allahabad High Court's decision on July 24, which refused to suspend the conviction but granted bail to Ansari in the same case. The appeal pertains to the judgment of a special MP/MLA court that sentenced Afzal Ansari to four years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for his involvement in the 2007 Gangsters Act case. The court also convicted his brother, ex-MLA Mukhtar Ansari, giving him a 10-year prison term.
The charges against the brothers stem from their alleged connection to the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanad Rai in 2005 and the kidnapping and murder of Varanasi-based trader Nand Kishore Rungta in 1997, under the UP Gangsters Act. Afzal Ansari faced disqualification from the Lok Sabha on May 1 after being convicted and sentenced in the kidnapping-murder case.
