The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed jailed MLA Abbas Ansari to visit his family home, under police custody, between June 10-12 to attend private prayers organised for his late gangster-politician father Mukhtar Ansari. The top court, while allowing Ansari to visit his home, directed the Uttar Pradesh police to ensure dignity and self respect of female family members are maintained when it visits Ansari's residence.
Earlier, the top court allowed Abbas Ansari, who is currently lodged in Kasganj Jail, to attend his father’s ‘fatiha’ ceremony. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice K V Viswanathan allowed him to attend Fatiha ceremony saying that Ansari could not attend his father's last rites as he was in judicial custody.
However, the court allowed him to visit his home only under police custody. The court had further directed the UP police to frisk all visitors and ensure that no arms are carried inside his residence. The apex court also barred Abbas Ansari from making any statements to the media while he visits home for the Fatiha ceremony on April 10.
Mukhtar Ansari died on March 28 following a cardiac arrest while undergoing a sentence of life imprisonment. His son and MLA, Abbas Ansari is currently under judicial custody over an arms license case.
The Uttar Pradesh government had earlier raised objections to Abbas Ansari's plea seeking permission to attend Fatiha ceremony saying that he is charged under the Gangster Act and he was shifted to Kasganj Jail after he was found running a gang throught Chitrakoot jail where he was earlier lodged.
In November 2023, the Allahabad High Court denied him bail noting that huge quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered from his premises in New Delhi. The High Court further observed that there was a risk of Ansari influencing witnesses and tampering with evidence if granted bail.