Ensure Mukhtar Ansari doesn’t encounter unforeseen situation, Supreme Court tells UP
New Delhi, January 16
The Supreme Court today directed Uttar Pradesh authorities to continue with the security measures to ensure that gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, lodged in Banda jail, is not visited with any “unforeseen situation”.
The apex court, which perused the chart placed before it indicating the security arrangements made for Ansari, observed they appeared to be “formidable enough”. The SC Bench was hearing a plea filed by Ansari’s son Umar raising the issue of safety of his father even within the jail premises and also to transfer him to any other prison outside UP.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, requested the SC to adjourn the matter to July.
“Having regard to the above and notwithstanding the concerns raised on the security of the detenue by the petitioner’s counsel, we deem it appropriate to direct the authorities of Uttar Pradesh state to continue with all the security measures to ensure that detenu Mukhtar Ansari is not visited with any unforeseen situation,” the Bench said.
Umar has said in his petition that as his father belonged to a political party that is opposed to the state’s ruling BJP, both “politically and ideologically”, his family has been a target of “persecution” by the state. The plea said several attempts have already been made on Ansari’s life by those inimical to him in view of his political affiliations and he has already been attacked five times in the past.
