SP MLA Rafiq Ansari has been cleared by the MP-MLA court in a 1995 rioting and arson case due to lack of evidence. The case was about rioting during a protest over slaughtered animals. Ansari spent nearly 50 days in jail and faced several warrants but is now the last to be acquitted after others were already cleared. The court said there was no proof against him.
Meerut: SP MLA Rafiq Ansari, who represents the Meerut city assembly constituency, acquitted by the MP-MLA court on Friday in a case related to riots and arson from 1995.
His advocate, Vivek Kumar, stated,
“The court found no evidence to proceed with the charges.”
The case, which was filed on September 12, 1995, stemmed from allegations of rioting and arson during a protest against the consumption of slaughtered animals.
While the initial FIR named 35 individuals under various IPC sections, including 147 (rioting) and 436 (mischief by fire), Ansari’s name was not included until the chargesheet filed in 1997 against 23 of the 35 accused.
From 1997 to 2015, Ansari faced over 100 non-bailable warrants for failing to appear in court. Following a directive from the Allahabad High Court on April 29, the UP DGP was instructed to arrest him, resulting in his detention on May 27 for nearly 50 days.
After his acquittal, Ansari, a two-time MLA who won against BJP’s Kamal Dutt Sharma in the 2022 assembly elections, expressed his relief, stating,
“Justice is served. It was a false case. I was confident the order would be in my favor. All 22 others accused in this case were already acquitted.”
A government advocate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted,
“All witnesses either passed away or turned hostile. The plaintiff is also deceased, and the court found no evidence to continue.”
Rafiq Ansari, born on November 5, 1962, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian politician from the Samajwadi Party (SP). He has been an MLA representing the Meerut constituency since March 11, 2017.
Ansari has won the MLA seat twice in his political career, defeating BJP’s Kamal Dutt Sharma in the 2022 elections. He is a businessman by profession and has studied up to class 8.
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