Court frames charges against Ansari in Rungta case

PRAYAGRAJ : The MP and MLA court framed charges against mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a criminal case where he had allegedly threatened to kill the complainant in the Rungta kidnapping case, on Tuesday.

Ansari, a sitting Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from Mau assembly constituency, is currently lodged in the Banda district jail. He has been elected as a member of the legislative assembly from the Mau constituency five times on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket.

After hearing both sides through video-conferencing, special judge, MP and MLA court, Alok Kumar Srivastava, framed charges against Ansari for threatening to kill the complainant of Rungta kidnapping case, in which he (Ansari) is an accused. Ansari made his submissions from the jail. Earlier, his application to discharge him from this case was rejected by the same court on August 13, 2021. One Nand Kishore Rungta, a coal businessman, was kidnapped and a ransom of 1.25 crore was demanded by the kidnappers for his release. An FIR was lodged in this connection by one Mahabir Prasad Rungta, brother of Nand Kishore.

It is alleged that on November 5, 1997, Mahabir Prasad Rungta was threatened over the phone, asking him not to pursue the case otherwise he would be killed by a remotecontrolled bomb along with his family members. Later, an FIR was lodged in connection with the alleged threat on December 1, 1997, at Bhelupur police station of Varanasi district.

Later, the trial of this criminal case was transferred to the MP and MLA court.

Before the framing of charges, a discharge application was moved on behalf of Mukhtar Ansari requesting to discharge him from this criminal case, as according to him, no case is made out against him. He pleaded that there is no evidence of issuing a threat over the telephone. However, the court rejected his discharge application.

ANSARI MADE HIS SUBMISSIONS FROM JAIL. PLEA WAS REJECTED EARLIER ON AUG 13. COAL BIZMAN WAS KIDNAPPED FOR RANSOM