High court stays Abbas Ansari’s arrest

ABBAS ANSARI, CONTESTED AND WON THE 2022 UP ASSEMBLY POLLS AS A CANDIDATE OF THE SUHELDEV BHARTIYA SAMAJ PARTY (SBSP)SAMAJWADI PARTY ALLIANCE

PRAYAGRAJ : The Allahabad high court has stayed the arrest of Mau Sadar MLA Abbas Ansari, the son of Mafiosoturned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, for his controversial statement wherein he allegedly threatened government officials at a public rally in Mau district during the recently concluded UP assembly polls earlier this month.

The court directed Ansari to co-operate in the ongoing investigation into the incident and added that in case of any act of the non-cooperation, it would be open for the respondents to approach this court for the vacation of this interim order.

The bench comprising Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Vikas Kunvar Srivastav further directed the state government and the Election Commission of India to file a counter affidavit (reply) within three weeks.

Abbas Ansari, who contested and won the 2022 UP assembly polls as a candidate of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP)-Samajwadi Party alliance, had allegedly said during the public meeting if the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its alliance partners formed the government in Uttar Pradesh after the 2022 assembly polls, no government officials would be transferred for the first six months as he had a score to settle with them.

In connection with his alleged remark made on March 3, 2022, a first information report was lodged against him on March 4 under Sections 171F (punishment for undue influence or personation at an election) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code with Mau kotwali police.