Supreme Court grants interim bail to UP MLA Abbas Ansari

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari in a case registered under the state's Gangsters Act.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed Ansari, son of gangster Mukhtar Ansari, who died on March 28, 2024, to stay in his official accommodation in Lucknow and seek prior permission from authorities before visiting his constituency in Mau.

The bench further asked Ansari not to leave Uttar Pradesh without prior permission of the court and informed police authorities a day before appearing in court.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ansari, contended that he has been granted bail in all cases except the present one, which named only police officers as witnesses.

Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, said the petitioner is an influential person, who could threaten witnesses if released even on interim bail.

The bench said he was granted bail in all criminal cases except for the Gangsters Act case.

The court, however, sought a status report from the police on compliance of the bail conditions by Ansari in six weeks.

Ansari, though taken into custody in another criminal case on November 4, 2022, was arrested under the Gangsters Act on September 6, 2024.

On December 18, 2024, the Allahabad High Court rejected Ansari's bail plea in the case.

An FIR was lodged on August 31, 2024, at Kotwali Karvi Police Station in Chitrakoot district under Section 2, 3 of UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986 against Ansari, Navneet Sachan, Niyaz Ansari, Faraz Khan and Shahbaz Alam Khan. They were accused of extortion and assault.

Ansari is an MLA from the Mau constituency representing Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party.