Gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed was pronounced guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case by an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Tuesday and handed a life-sentence along with two others, while his brother, Khalid Azim alias Ashraf and six other accused in the case were acquitted.

Special MP-MLA court judge Dinesh Chandra Shukla pronounced the guilty verdict against Atiq Ahmed, Lawyer Saulat Hanif and Dinesh Pasi under section 364-A (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which carries the death penalty as the maximum sentence.

Justice Shukla sentenced the guilty trio to 14 years life imprisonment in the case.

Earlier, Ahmed, who was brought by a 45-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Police to the special MP-MLA court in Prayagraj today from Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, was convicted, along with the other two accused in the kidnapping of BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case prime witness, Umesh Pal in 2006.

Umesh Pal, then a zila panchayat member, had come forward as the prime witness in Raju Pal’s murder, who was killed on January 25, 2005.

Umesh Pal had claimed that Atiq Ahmed and aides kidnapped him at gunpoint on February 28, 2006 after he refused retract his statement given to the police in the BSP leader’s killing. Based on his complaint, the police on July 5, 2007, had lodged an FIR against Ahmed, his brother, and others.

The UP Police had submitted a chargesheet in the matter against 11 accused. One of them later died.

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On February 24 last month, Umesh Pal was shot dead along with his two security men in Prayagraj. Atiq and his brother—who were both in jail at the time—are also the accused in the conspiracy to assassinate Umesh Pal.

On Sunday, a 45-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrived at the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad to escort Atiq Ahmed to UP to produce him before the special court in Prayagraj in the Umesh Pal abduction case.

Earlier today, reports said that ahead of the hearing, security was heightened outside the Prayagraj court and security personnel were also deployed outside the residence of Ahmed as well as that of his advocate as well.

Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal earlier said she won’t attend the hearing but had prayed for Ahmed to be sentenced to death for her husband’s murder.

On Jaya Pal’s complaint, a case a case was lodged at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj against Ahmed, his brother, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.

A mafia kingpin feared across Uttar Pradesh and former Samajwadi Party MP from Phulpur, Atiq Ahmed was shifted to the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat in June 2019 following a Supreme Court order after he was accused of allegedly orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of real estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in prison in the state.

According to the police, Ahmed is named in the Umesh Pal murder case and in over 100 others of criminal nature.

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Gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed to be produced in Prayagraj court today amid high security

Senior Congress leader and former Law Minister Salman Khurshid spoke to the media on Tuesday and showed confidence in Rahul Gandhi’s return to Parliament. Khurshid statements come in the backdrop of vacating notice served to the disqualified Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Khurshid, while speaking to the media, said that he is confident that Rahul Gandhi will return to the parliament very quickly through the legal process. The former Law Minister in an interview with the PTI also said that Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification begat Opposition to unity and termed it to be a good point to begin on.

He also said that if Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification marks the beginning of a corporation, it was worth paying the price.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on March 24 subsequently after the Congress leader was convicted by a Gujarat Court in a defamation case. Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification was condemned and termed as a black day for democracy by many within and across party lines.

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The most recent development in the case was that the senior Congress leader was served a notice to vacate his allotted bungalow on March 27th. After being served the notice to vacate, Gandhi replied and agreed to abide by the notice.

However, the notice to vacate was slammed by various Congress leaders as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge came forward and said that Rahul Gandhi can go live with his mother or he can also approach him and he will vacate one for him.
Kharge in his statement also slammed and condemns the Centre and accused the government of trying to intimidate and humiliate the Opposition. He also highlighted that they had to manage without a house for three to four months. He further talked about his bungalow and said that he got it after six months.

He further accused the BJP of doing such things to humiliate others and condemned the attitude of the BJP.

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A special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Tuesday convicted gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and others in the Umesh Pal abduction case.

Ahmed, who was brought by a 45-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Police to the special MP-MLA court in Prayagraj today from Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail, was convicted, along with his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf and other accused in the kidnapping of BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case prime witness, Umesh Pal in 2006.

Umesh Pal, then a zila panchayat member, had come forward as the prime witness in Raju Pal’s murder, who was killed on January 25, 2005.

Umesh Pal had claimed that Atiq Ahmed and aides kidnapped him at gunpoint on February 28, 2006 after he refused take back his statement given to the police in the BSP leader’s killing. Based on his complaint, the police on July 5, 2007, had lodged an FIR against Ahmed, his brother, and four other accused.

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On February 24 last month, Umesh Pal was shot dead along with his two security men in Prayagraj. Atiq and his brother—who were both in jail at the time—are also the accused in the conspiracy to assassinate Umesh Pal.

On Sunday, a 45-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrived at the Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad to escort Atiq Ahmed to UP to produce him before the special court in Prayagraj in the Umesh Pal abduction case.

Earlier today, reports said that ahead of the hearing, security was heightened outside the Prayagraj court and security personnel were also deployed outside the residence of Ahmed as well as that of his advocate as well.

Prayagraj District Bar Association said the MP-MLA court of Prayagraj has cleared its schedule for today and will only hear Umesh Pal case.

The Bar Association in a statement said that Presiding Officer of MP MLA Court has written to Minister of District Advocates Association wherein it was requested to pronounce a verdict in the case today itself.

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Gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed to be produced in Prayagraj court today amid high security