Umesh Pal Case Verdict: A special MP-MLA court on Tuesday sentenced gangster Atiq Ahmed to life imprisonment in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case. He has been convicted under various sections including 364A of the IPC. The court earlier held Atiq Ahmed guilty in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case. Apart from Atiq, two more have been held guilty while seven others, including Ashraf, have been acquitted. There were a total of 10 accused in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case.
All three convicts have been imposed with rigorous life imprisonment and a fine of one lakh rupees each. The amount from this fine will be given to the family members of Umesh Pal.
During the argument, the prosecution demanded the maximum sentence. On behalf of Atiq Ahmed, the lawyer cited his illness, age and urged for a lesser sentence adding that Atiq was a public representative.
Atiq was brought to Prayagaj's Naini Central jail on Monday from Gujarat while Ashraf was brought to the city jail from Bareilly.
Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed was brought to the Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj on Monday. He will be produced in court for the verdict in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case, a key witness of the 2005 Raju Pal murder. Ahmed is a prime accused in the Raju Pal murder case as well.
Atiq Ahmed is a gangster-turned-politician who was an Allahabad West MLA from 1989-2004. He also served as a Lok Sabha MP from the Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh between 2004 and 2009.
Born on August 10, 1962, Atiq Ahmed is named in over 100 cases. His brother Ashraf has 52 cases, wife Shaista Praveen has three, and sons Ali and Umar Ahmad have four and one cases, respectively, against them.
Atiq Ahmed first won the Allahabad West seat as an independent candidate in the 1989 UP Assembly election. He went on to win the next two elections as well. He switched to the Samajwadi Party in 1993 and then moved to Apna Dal in 1999. He quit the Apna Dal in 2003 to go back to Samjwadi Party, where he remained till his arrest in 2018.
WHY WAS ATIQ AHMED LODGED IN GUJARAT JAIL?
Atiq was arrested again in 2017, for allegedly beating up staffers of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Prayagraj. He was lodged in He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Varanasi seat as an independent against PM Narendra Modi, but lost.
Atiq Ahmed was again placed under arrest in another case of extortion and assault in Deoria jail. He was allegedly threatening businessman Mohit Jaiswal and even assaulted him in jail. Two other businessmen also brought in similar complaints. He was then moved to Bareilly jail. However, due to allegations of Atiq working with jail officers to run an extortion operation, he was shifted to Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat.
WHY WAS ATIQ AHMED SHIFTED TO PRAYAGRAJ JAIL?
Atiq Ahmed was moved to Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj on Monday as he is to be produced in a court in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case. Umesh was a key accused in the Raju Pal murder case. Atiq is a prime accused in both Umesh and Raju's murders. Umesh Pal was shot dead on February 23 this year.
Atiq's brother is also lodged in a different barrack in the same jail. Both will be produced in court on Tuesday.