- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: India Weekly Staff
A court in Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday (28) held gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and two others guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case, and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment.
Ahmad’s brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf and six others were acquitted.
Government counsel Gulab Chandra Agrahari said special a MP-MLA court judge Dinesh Chandra Shukla held Ahmad, Saulat Hanif, a lawyer, and Dinesh Pasi guilty under Indian Penal Code section 364-A (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder).
“The court has awarded the three rigorous life imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine to each,” Agrahari said.
Earlier, when Ahmad and Ashraf were produced in the court, a number of lawyers raised slogans of “fansi do” (give them capital punishment). Ahmad’s counsel Dayashankar Mishra said they have the right to appeal and they will approach the High court against the conviction. He said Ahmad will be kept in Sabarmati Jail (Ahmedabad) in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision.
In her reaction to the judgement, Pal’s mother Shanti Devi said she has full faith in the country’s judiciary, but expressed apprehension Ahmad “could do anything from inside the jail”.
“I request the court to award him capital punishment for getting my son killed,” she said, but added she won’t challenge the Tuesday’s court order.
“My son fought like a lion. He was awaiting judgement in this case. He was sure that Ahmad would get punished in the case. But he (Ahmad) got him (Umesh Pal) killed. We will not challenge today’s court order. I want to request the CM to take care of us as we have on one with us,” she said.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had last month charged the Samajwadi Party with garlanding mafias like Atiq Ahmad and had said in the state assembly that “mafia (Atiq Ahmad) ko mitti me mila denge (will destroy the mafia).”
After the killing of then BSP MLA Raju Pal on January 25, 2005, Umesh Pal, then a zila panchayat member, had told police he was a witness to the murder. He later alleged that he was kidnapped at gunpoint on February 28, 2006, as he refused to retract and buckle under pressure from Ahmad.
A first-information report in the case was registered on July 5, 2007, against Ahmad, his brother and others.
The police had submitted a chargesheet in the matter against 11 people. One of them later died.
Ahmad and Ashraf are also accused of being involved in a conspiracy, while they were both in prison, to kill Umesh Pal. Umesh Pal was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on February 24 last.
In the case, Pal’s wife Jaya filed a case at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj against Ahmad, his brother, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
Earlier in the day, Ahmad, Ashraf and others were brought to the court from Naini jail in separate police vans and produced before the judge amid tight security.
(PTI)
