E-Paper
Fearing life threat, Mukhtar Ansari files plea in Varanasi court
He mentioned this before the special judge MP/MLA sessions court, Varanasi during his appearance via video conferencing on May 19 in 1991 Awadesh Rai murder case.
Former five-time MLA from Mau, Mukhtar Ansari, has filed a plea in a Varanasi court apprehending life threat in Banda jail where he is lodged since April 2021.
He mentioned this before the special judge MP/MLA sessions court, Varanasi during his appearance via video conferencing on May 19 in 1991 Awadesh Rai murder case. Later, one of his lawyers filed a written plea in the matter on Tuesday.
Mukhtar Ansari’s lawyer in Varanasi court Srinath Tripathi confirmed that another lawyer Liyakat Ali has filed a written application in the court. He said Liyakat Ali visited Mukhtar Ansari in Banda jail on May 19 when Ansari apprised him about life threat in the jail as some suspicious persons in civvies visited his barrack thrice on April 1, 19 and May 18. He said one of the suspicious persons posed as SP Banda and demanded photocopies of his documents like voter ID, Aadhar and PAN card.
The lawyer had apprised the court that the visit of suspicious persons was not mentioned in the jail register and requested to save the CCTV footage of Banda jail so the suspicious visitors could be identified. He said Ansari has been harassed by these visits of suspicious persons frequently and he fears that they could plan to eliminate him inside the jail.
Interestingly, Ansari filed this application in the court after registration of a fresh FIR against him for alleged discrepancies in his date of birth on different identity cards on May 18.
The police said these ID cards were recovered from him during a surprise check at the Banda jail by local authorities.
Banda’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) Laxmi Niwas Mishra had earlier informed that the case was lodged against Mukhtar Ansari at the Banda City Kotwali on May 18 after discrepancies were found in his date of birth and the spelling of his name.
The cop added that jail outpost in-charge Dharmendra Singh lodged the FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (for cheating), 467 (for forgery of a valuable security, will or authority to make or transfer any valuable security), 468 (for forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (for using as genuine a forged document). He said that the FIR was lodged against Mukhtar Ansari and unidentified persons in this connection and further probe is underway.
As per the FIR, Ansari’s date of birth is mentioned as 1959 in his voter ID card while it is mentioned as 1963 in his Aadhaar and PAN cards. Similarly, the spelling of his name is mentioned as ‘Mukhtar Ansari’ in Aadhaar and voter ID cards but it is ‘Mokhtar Ansari in the PAN card. Ansari’s date of birth, however, is mentioned as June 30, 1963, in his political records.
