CBI probe into kidnapping of businessman by jailed MP

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a CBI probe into a shocking incident of kidnapping and assault of a businessman allegedly by former MP Uttar Pradesh mafia don Atiq Ahmed in a jail in Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna ordered shifting of the former parliamentarian from Naini jail in Prayagraj to a prison in Gujarat with video conferencing facility.

The court ordered suspension of jail officials of the Deoria jail, wherein Ahmed was alleged to have assaulted the Lucknow-based businessman on December 26, 2018 after his abduction from Lucknow.

The top court also directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide status report on 106 pending cases against Ahmed.

The court's order came on a PIL filed by lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who sought a life ban on politicians convicted in criminal cases, besides the setting up of special courts to expeditiously try cases involving the elected representatives.

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, acting as an amicus curiae, contended that the report filed by the state government showed the businessman was kidnapped by Ahmed.

Hansaria said it has been found in the report that CCTVs of the jail complex were not working at the relevant time, and the jail manual not followed.

A real estate dealer, Mohit Jaiswal had filed an FIR in December 2018 alleging that he was kidnapped from Lucknow and taken to the prison where he was assaulted by the jailed don and his aides and was forced to transfer his business to them.

Lucknow-based realtor Jaiswal had alleged that he was tortured and forced to transfer five of his firms in the names of the former lawmaker and his jailed son.

According to the complaint, the combined assets of the firms were worth Rs 45 crore. He alleged that Ahmed's henchmen also took away his car of Jaiswal and other belongings before releasing him.