Punjab govt shamelessly protecting gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari: Uttar Pradesh govt tells Supreme Court

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the Punjab government was “shamelessly” protecting gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari by denying his presence before a special court to face trial in several heinous offenses.

Ansari, a BSP MLA, is lodged in the district jail Roopnagar since January 2019 in connection with an alleged extortion case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the UP government, slammed the Punjab government before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ansari, said his client was a small fry, who was being cornered by a mighty state.

Mehta added that he was such a small fry that the Punjab government was shamelessly protecting him.

The top court fixed the matter for further hearing on March 2 as senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the Punjab government, sought an adjournment citing personal grounds. Mehta said he has no objection to Dave’s plea for adjournment.

In a written submission, the UP government, through advocate Garima Prasad, said it was "very much an interested party to find out how the nexus has taken place amongst the functionaries of the State of Punjab with the conduits of the accused gangster and history-sheeter Mukhtar Ansari as also the suspended officials of the State of UP in the said FIR."

In a writ petition, it sought direction from the top court to the Punjab government and Roopnagar jail authority to immediately hand over Ansari’s custody to district jail Banda.

It appeared that the transfer of Ansari's custody was meticulously planned and raised a strong suspicion of conspiracy to delay the proceedings before the Special Judge (MP/MLA), Prayagraj, said the UP government.

It also accused the Punjab government of making a mockery of the federal structure of the Constitution by seeking to defend an accused who is a gangster and a history-sheeter.

The UP government said that more than 30 FIRs and over 14 criminal trials, including heinous crimes of murder and under sections of the Gangster Act, were pending against him in various MP/MLA courts, where his personal appearance is sought.