Mukhtar, 32 others acquitted

DISTRICT AND Sessions Judge, Mau, Dinesh Kumar Gupta on Friday acquitted all 33 accused, including Mukhtar Ansari, in the Mau riots case for lack of concrete evidence. Ansari, an independent legislator from Mau supporting the ruling Samajwadi Party, was the main accused in the Mau riots which had claimed 12 lives and left many others injured in October 2005 besides causing damage to property.

DISTRICT AND Sessions Judge, Mau, Dinesh Kumar Gupta on Friday acquitted all 33 accused, including Mukhtar Ansari, in the Mau riots case for lack of concrete evidence.

HT Image

Ansari, an independent legislator from Mau supporting the ruling Samajwadi Party, was the main accused in the Mau riots which had claimed 12 lives and left many others injured in October 2005 besides causing damage to property.

The case was registered on the complaint of Ram Prakash Yadav, brother of one of the deceased in the riots Jitendra Yadav. He held the legislator responsible for killing of his brother.

However, Ram Prakash Yadv turned hostile due to which the case got weakened considerably. Of the 33 accused in the riots case, one had died during the course of trail some time ago. “The judge was clear in his judgment that since the complainant on whose complaint the case was registered against Mukhtar Ansari had turned hostile, there was no reason to hold the accused guilty,” SN Yadav, Mukhtar Ansari’s lawyer told Hindustan Times on phone after the judgment.In all over two-dozen persons had reportedly deposed before the court and most of these had turned hostile.

Ansari, who is lodged in the Ghazipur jail in connection with the murder of BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai, was personally present in the Mau court when the judge delivered the judgment.

Police had made elaborate security arrangements around the court complex in view of presence of a huge crowd in the area.