The Allahabad High Court will continue to hear on Thursday (May 23) a criminal appeal filed by member of parliament from Ghazipur , Afzal Ansari challenging his conviction and four years’ sentence in a gangsters Act case by a trial court of Ghazipur. This case under the gangsters’ Act case was imposed on Afzal following the killing of BJP MLA Krishna Nand Rai in the year 2005.
This verdict can influence Afzal’s candidature from Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat where he is in fray as a Samajwadi Party candidate. If the high court upholds the trial court verdict, Afzal will be disqualified from contesting elections. Ghazipur goes to poll on June 1.
Earlier on Tuesday, the appellant- Afzal’s counsels had concluded their arguments. The day to day hearing of this criminal appeal is going on.
Today (on Wednesday, May 22), the counsels representing the state government began their arguments.
After brief hearing, Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh directed to put up this case on Thursday (May 23) for further hearing of the counsels representing the state government.
Along with this present criminal appeal, this court is also hearing connected UP government’s appeal seeking enhancement of sentence of Afzal in the same case and criminal revision filed by Piyusha Rai, son of Krishnanand Rai, also seeking enhancement of sentence.
An MP-MLA court of Ghazipur had on April 29, 2023, convicted Afzal and sentenced him to four years jail and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh in the Gangsters’ Act case. His younger brother Mukhtar Ansari too was sentenced to 10 years in jail in the case.
Following this, Afzal was disqualified as an MP. Thereafter, he filed the present criminal appeal before the high court.
On July 24, 2023, the HC had granted bail to the five-time MLA and two-time MP but declined to stay his conviction in the case. As a result, though Afzal was released from jail, his membership of Parliament was not restored. Further, he also became disqualified to contest future polls as the sentence awarded was more than two years.
However, later the SC stayed his conviction, as a result, his membership of Parliament was restored, and he also became eligible to contest the Lok Sabha election. However, the apex court directed to expedite the hearing of this criminal appeal pending before the high court and asked it to decide the case by June 30.
