UP assembly polls: Court rejects bail plea of SP MLA Nahid Hasan

Rejecting Hasan’s bail plea, MP/MLA special court judge Subodh Singh said there was no case for relief. The SP MLA's lawyer Manoj Rana said they would move the high court for bail.

A court in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Nahid Hasan. Arrested on January 15 under the stringent Gangsters Act, Hasan was fielded by the Akhilesh Yadav-led party for the upcoming Assembly election only to be replaced by his sister later.

Hasan was sent to 14-day judicial custody following his arrest on January 15. A controversial political figure, he has been named in close to two dozen cases over the years.(HT_PRINT)

Rejecting Hasan’s bail plea, MP/MLA special court judge Subodh Singh said there was no case for relief. The SP MLA's lawyer Manoj Rana said they would move the high court for bail.

Hasan was sent to 14-day judicial custody following his arrest on January 15. A controversial political figure, he has been named in close to two dozen cases over the years.

A day before his arrest, Hasan had filed his nomination papers from his constituency Kairana for the upcoming assembly election. He was the lone candidate to have filed a nomination on the first day of issuance of notification.

However, the SP has now replaced Hasan with his sister Iqra Hasan as the party's candidate from Kairana.

According to police, 40 people, including Hasan and his mother Tabassum Begum, were booked in a 2021 case registered under the Gangsters Act.

While most of the accused were released on bail, Hasan failed to surrender in court following which a non-bailable warrant was issued against the 34-year-old SP MLA and he was arrested.

His mother, a former Lok Sabha MP, was granted bail by the Allahabad high court.

Taking to Twitter last week, Yadav lashed out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation for the FIRs against his party and allies, arrest of candidates and issuance of threats to Opposition leaders. The former chief minister said it showed the BJP’s desperation to win the election.

Yadav, who has been accused by the BJP of fielding candidates having a criminal background, has said the ruling camp has been framing his party’s leaders in false cases.

(With agency inputs)