Prayagraj, July 30: The Allahabad High Court on Monday overturned the Ghazipur court’s conviction of Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari, allowing him to continue serving as a member of Parliament. The conviction had sentenced Ansari to four years of imprisonment under the Gangsters Act in connection with the 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
Justice S K Singh of the Allahabad High Court upheld Ansari’s appeal against his conviction, while also dismissing the pleas from the Uttar Pradesh government and Krishnanand Rai’s son, Piyush Kumar Rai, which sought a harsher sentence for Ansari.
The Ghazipur MP had been sentenced by an MP-MLA court on April 29, 2023, to four years in jail and fined ₹1 lakh. This conviction led to his immediate disqualification from Parliament, in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, which mandates the disqualification of any MP or state legislator sentenced to two or more years of imprisonment.
Ansari was granted bail by the high court on July 24, 2023, but his conviction was not stayed, keeping his disqualification from Parliament in effect. However, the Supreme Court later intervened, staying the conviction and restoring his MP status, thus making him eligible to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The top court also directed the high court to expedite the hearing of his appeal, with the judgment being reserved on July 4, 2024, reported the ABP news.
This development comes in the wake of the recent death of Afzal Ansari’s brother, Mukhtar Ansari. The ruling has significant implications for the Samajwadi Party and its prospects in the upcoming elections.
