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Extortion case: Three months after framing of charges, trial against Ansari yet to start in Mohali court
The trial in the extortion case against jailed UP gangster Mukhtar Ansari has yet to begin three months after charges were framed. Ansari's counsel has claimed that the prison is not allowing him to sign a power of attorney. The court has directed the jail superintendent to ensure compliance and produce Ansari via video conferencing on April 26. The hearing has been deferred five times, and the court has warned that non-compliance will be taken seriously as it is the accused's right to defend their case effectively.
Even three months after the framing of charges by the local court, the trial in the extortion case against the jailed UP gangster Mukhtar Ansari is yet to start. In the last hearing on April 12, Ansari’s counsel SS Dhanoa submitted before the court that the jail authorities are not allowing him to get the power of attorney signed by the accused.
Ansari is presently lodged in Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh. Taking strict note of the matter, Vineet Kumar Narang, additional chief judicial magistrate, has directed the jail superintendent of Banda jail to ensure the compliance of the order.
“The non-compliance of order would be taken seriously as it is the right of the accused to defend his case through counsel to put his defence effectively,” stated the court order.
The court has also directed that the accused be produced by the jail authorities through video conferencing (VC) on April 26, the next date of hearing.
The copies of orders were also sent to the superintendent, of Banda Jail, for compliance.
On Thursday, chief minister Bhagwant Mann returned the file concerning the clearance of bills worth ₹55 lakh to be paid to lawyers hired by the previous Congress government to oppose custody demand of UP police when Ansari was lodged in the Ropar Central jail.
It was on January 25 earlier this year that the court dismissed the application for discharging Ansari in an extortion case registered in 2019 at Mataur police station in Mohali.
The court had observed the prima facie case made out against accused Mukhtar Ansari. In 2019, a builder in Mohali submitted a complaint to the police against Ansari, alleging that he had received a call from the gangster who demanded ₹10 crore from him.
After this, the police brought Ansari from UP jail on a production warrant. On March 10, 2021, the Mohali police filed a chargesheet against Ansari.
Since Ansari was produced through video conferencing, hence, jail superintendent was directed to get the chargesheet signed by the accused. The next date of the hearing was fixed on February 3.
Since then, the hearing in the case has been deferred five times. On two occasions on February 17 and March 3, Ansari was not presented before the court through VC, while on March 15 Ansari appeared through VC and urged the court to engage a new counsel.
The court directed the jail authorities to allow the counsel to get the power of attorney signed by Ansari.
The March 29 hearing was deferred as the jail authorities failed to produce Ansari via VC.
