Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari sentenced in fake arms license case
What's the story
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was on Wednesday handed down a life sentence by a special MP/MLA court in Varanasi for obtaining a gun license using forged documents back in 1987.
The 60-year-old joined the court proceedings via video conference from Banda Jail, where he is currently lodged.
Ansari has been convicted in eight cases, including this, while at least 60 cases are pending against him in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, New Delhi, and other states.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Ansari had applied for a double-barrel gun license using fake signatures of the district magistrate (DM) and the superintendent of police (SP) in 1987.
Three years later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) uncovered the crime, prompting a complaint against Ansari and four others to be filed at Mohadabad police station.
The charge sheet was sent to the court in 1997 against Ansari and the then ordnance clerk Gaurishankar Srivastava, who died during the hearing of the case.
Conviction
Convicted under multiple sections of IPC and Arms Act
During the hearing, the court found Ansari guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including mischief, forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating, and criminal conspiracy, as well as Section 30 of the Arms Act.
The order was passed by the special MP-MLA court of judge Awanish Gautam.
Multiple jail terms
Ansari received multiple jail terms
The sentence came just three months after Ansari received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence for threatening to kill a coal trader in 1997.
The court had also issued a fine of Rs 10,000 on Ansari for the same.
Earlier in June, an Uttar Pradesh court sentenced Ansari to life in prison in the 32-year-old murder case of Congress leader Awadhesh Rai.
The five-term MLA has also been fined Rs. 1,00,000 in the 1991 murder case.
Who is Ansari
Who is Mukhtar Ansari
Ansari is a five-time MLA from the Mau Assembly constituency, where he contested twice as a candidate from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
The mafia don, however, did not contest the 2022 Assembly elections and his seat was won by his son Abbas Ansari.
Abbas contested the polls on the ticket of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).
Interestingly, Ansari also happens to be a relative of former Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari,