The Supreme Court on Friday relaxed the bail condition imposed on MLA Abbas Ansari in a UP Gangsters Act case, allowing him to stay home in Ghazipur when he visits his Mau constituency. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, which took the confidential report filed by the Uttar Pradesh government on record, modified the March 7 order of the court, in which several bail conditions were imposed on Ansari, son of late gangster Mukhtar Ansari.
Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, said Ansari had not been appearing in cases against him for the past two-three dates.
Justice Kant said the riders imposed on him could be the reason.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ansari, submitted neither did the MLA step out of his official Lucknow home nor did he visit his constituency in the last six months.
"My Mau constituency is 350 kilometer away from Lucknow. How can I visit my constituency and come back on the same day? My home at Ghazipur is just 40 kilometer away from the constituency, kindly allow me to stay during my visit to my constituency," Sibal said.
The bench allowed Ansari to stay for three nights at a stretch during his visit to the constituency but restrained him from attending any political meetings during his stay.
It also allowed him to file a reply to the status report filed by the state government.
On March 7, the top court granted six weeks' interim bail to Ansari in the case and asked him to stay in his official accommodation in Lucknow and seek prior permission from authorities before visiting his constituency in Mau.
The bail reprieve in the case has paved the way for Ansari's release from Kasganj Jail as he was already on bail in other criminal cases against him.
The top court had asked him not to leave UP without court's prior permission and inform police authorities a day before appearing in different courts in the cases against him.
While restraining him from speaking in public on the pending cases, the top court had sought a confidential status report from the police on compliance of the bail conditions by Ansari in six weeks.
Ansari was taken into custody in other criminal cases on November 4, 2022 and arrested under the gangsters Act on September 6, 2024.
On January 31, fearing an encounter, Ansari sought to appear virtually in the trial court proceedings in a case under the Gangsters Act.
He submitted that he was appearing before the court virtually from jail in Kasganj but the facility was later stopped.
The top court, which had sought the UP government's response on Ansari's bail plea, denied the plea for virtual hearing on the ground that no prayer was made in the petition and asked Sibal to move the high court with the plea.
On December 18, last year, 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.
Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, said Ansari had not been appearing in cases against him for the past two-three dates.
Justice Kant said the riders imposed on him could be the reason.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ansari, submitted neither did the MLA step out of his official Lucknow home nor did he visit his constituency in the last six months.
"My Mau constituency is 350 kilometer away from Lucknow. How can I visit my constituency and come back on the same day? My home at Ghazipur is just 40 kilometer away from the constituency, kindly allow me to stay during my visit to my constituency," Sibal said.
The bench allowed Ansari to stay for three nights at a stretch during his visit to the constituency but restrained him from attending any political meetings during his stay.
It also allowed him to file a reply to the status report filed by the state government.
On March 7, the top court granted six weeks' interim bail to Ansari in the case and asked him to stay in his official accommodation in Lucknow and seek prior permission from authorities before visiting his constituency in Mau.
The bail reprieve in the case has paved the way for Ansari's release from Kasganj Jail as he was already on bail in other criminal cases against him.
The top court had asked him not to leave UP without court's prior permission and inform police authorities a day before appearing in different courts in the cases against him.
While restraining him from speaking in public on the pending cases, the top court had sought a confidential status report from the police on compliance of the bail conditions by Ansari in six weeks.
Ansari was taken into custody in other criminal cases on November 4, 2022 and arrested under the gangsters Act on September 6, 2024.
On January 31, fearing an encounter, Ansari sought to appear virtually in the trial court proceedings in a case under the Gangsters Act.
He submitted that he was appearing before the court virtually from jail in Kasganj but the facility was later stopped.
The top court, which had sought the UP government's response on Ansari's bail plea, denied the plea for virtual hearing on the ground that no prayer was made in the petition and asked Sibal to move the high court with the plea.
On December 18, last year, 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.
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