A special MP/MLA court here on Monday acquitted gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and his associates in a case of extending threat to a Lucknow jailor and others about 23 years ago. Special Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A K Srivastava observed that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against Ansari and his four associates Lalji Yadav, Kallu Pandit, Yusuf Chisti and Alam beyond reasonable doubt.
In the case, the court had framed charges against Yadav, Pandit, Chisti and Alam on August 17, 2021, while it had framed charges against Ansari on March 28, 2022. According to the prosecution, jailor S N Dwivedi and deputy jailor Baijnath Ram had lodged the FIR with Alambagh police station on April 1, 2000 in the case. It was alleged in the FIR that on March 29, 2000, the prisoners were going back to barracks after their appearance in the court at around 6 pm. At the time, Mukhtar along with his associates went inside a barrack and started thrashing another inmate Chand.
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It was further alleged that when the jailor and the deputy jailor tried to save Chand, the accused persons also attacked the officers and chief bandi rakshak Swami Dayal Awasthi. When the alarm was raised, the accused went back to their barracks while resorting to brick batting. The FIR further said that the accused had also threatened the jailor and his deputy that they would be killed along with their family members.
