Supreme Court declines gangster politician Mukhtar Ansari's plea to be shifted to a 'state not ruled by BJP'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a plea for shifting gangster-politician Mukhar Ansari, lodged in Banda jail, "to shift him to a state ruled by a party other than the BJP", after Uttar Pradesh took strong objection to it.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Sandeep Mehta, however, allowed Ansari's son Umar to amend his prayer in the writ petition and fixed the matter for consideration on Friday.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal for Umar Ansari requested the court to amend the prayer as Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj asked the bench to just look at the plea made in the writ petition.

"You amend the petition and then we will hear," the bench told Sibal.

During the hearing, Sibal submitted the petitioner's father was an accused in the murder case of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. All the accused were acquitted in the case. Out of eight accused, four have already been shot down.

He also cited the April 15 killings of former MP Atiq Ahmad and his ex-MLA brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, to point out the threat perception for Ansari, who was shifted from Punjab to Banda jail.

The bench, however, pointed out to Sibal that the order for security has already been provided by the High Court.

"You know our Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi) could not be protected as her own security guards killed her," the bench said.

Sibal, however, contended there was a genuine threat perception in his case.

Ansari's Son, Umar Ansari has filed a plea in the Supreme Court earlier this month seeking a direction to shift his father from Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh to any other state ruled by any other party than the BJP, in view of a grave danger and imminent threat to his life due to conspiracy to assassinate him.

He also sought a direction for his father to be produced before courts only through virtual conferencing in pending cases, in view of information received by the jailed gangster of the plan afoot by several actors within the state to eliminate him.

The petitioner claimed the modus operandi of assassination of his father, five-term MLA would be one which is not novel but as has been used to carry out killings in jail in several other cases.

He also referred to "disturbing pattern of extra judicial killings" of several accused persons including former MP and gangster Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf.

"This court cannot be a helpless bystander when the rule of law is being challenged with impunity to the prejudice of this petitioner and his father," his plea said.