Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's son Abbas Ansari in an arms license case, news agency ANI reported. Abbas Ansari was arrested following an order issued on September 18, 2023, by the Chitrakoot District Magistrate under Section 3(2) of the National Security Act 1980.
Last week, the Supreme Court postponed the bail application of mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's son, Abbas Ansari, until March 18. Abbas had been charged by the Uttar Pradesh Police for purportedly obtaining foreign firearms under the guise of participating in shooting competitions.
In January of this year, the Supreme Court had issued a notice regarding the bail plea of Abbas Ansari and requested the response of the Uttar Pradesh government within four weeks.
Previously, in November 2023, the Allahabad High Court had dismissed Abbas's bail application. The court observed that Abbas had imported firearms and barrels in violation of the import permit issued by the National Rifle Association of India. Additionally, he imported prohibited bores without authorisation and possessed a revolver with spare barrels without a permit. The court noted Abbas's possession of 4,431 cartridges.
Justice Subhash Vidyarthi of the High Court's Bench remarked that Abbas, as a sitting MLA representing the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, was expected to uphold the laws of the land to a higher degree compared to others.
Earlier this month, a special court in Varanasi had sentenced the gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in a fake arms licence case.
An FIR was filed against MLA Abbas Ansari from Mau constituency on October 12, 2019, for purported irregularities in obtaining an arms licence and purchasing firearms. The FIR alleged that Abbas Ansari acquired a gun licence from Lucknow and subsequently transferred it to Delhi, where he procured firearms using the updated address.