Mukhtar Ansari Sentenced To Life Imprisonment By MP-MLA Court In Awadhesh Rai Murder Case

Mukhtar Ansari was convicted by MP-MLA court for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, who was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's residence on August 3, 1991

Varanasi's MP-MLA court on Monday sentenced gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment and a fine of Rupees 1 lakh in the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. The former Bahujan Samaj Party MLA was convicted by the court on Monday for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, who was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's residence on August 3, 1991, in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. Reacting to the court's judgement, Ajay Rai said, “This is the result of 32 years of hard work by us and the people who stood by us in this battle." 

Ajay Rai welcomed the verdict saying, "Today, we have won after a 32-year-long battle. We welcome the verdict of the court...If any incident happens with me, its responsibility will be on the BJP government."

"It was a brutal murder in broad daylight and there were two eyewitnesses who gave their statements without being afraid of Mukhtar Ansari," said the lawyer who represented Ajay Rai in the court, reported PTI. 

On August 3, 1991, Awadhesh was standing outside his brother Ajay's residence in Varanasi's Lahurabir area under Chetganj police station when assailants came in a Maruti van and opened fire on him. Wounded Awadhesh was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 

Following the incident, Ajay Rai lodged an FIR at Chetganj police station against Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh, Kamlesh Singh, Rakesh, and former MLA Abdul Kalam. Two of the named accused Kamlesh and Abdul Kalam have died.   

In April this year, the gangster-turned-politician was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rupees 5 lakh by an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur in a kidnapping and murder case involving the death of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. 

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Afzal Ansari and brother of Mukhtar Ansari was also convicted in the same case. The court sentenced Afzal to four years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him. 

In the 2007 Gangsters Act case, Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined five lakh rupees by the Ghazipur court. Ansari, who has been in prison for over 15 years, now has nearly 60 cases against him. Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2007 after claiming that the charges against them were false.