UP: Mukhtar Ansari sentenced to 10 years in murder case

In addition to the imprisonment, the former MLA has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh. The former MLA was convicted by the same court on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ansari's associate Soni Yadav has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.

Ghazipur's additional district government counsel (criminal) Neeraj Srivastava said that in connection with that case, both the accused were pronounced guilty yesterday and today arguments on the quantum of the sentence were held.

"A case was registered against Mukhtar Ansari and his aide Sonu Yadav in 2010. The court sentenced Mukhtar Ansari to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakhs on him. Sonu Yadav was sentenced to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment with the imposition of a fine of Rs 2 lakhs," he added.

The sentence came in the murder case of police officer Kapil Dev Singh lodged in 2009. The same year, Mukhtar Ansari was accused of trying to murder another policeman, Mir Hasan.

Mukhtar Ansari was booked under the Gangsters Act for the third time by Ghazipur police in 2009 after he was found accused in two cases including a case of murder of Kapildev Singh lodged with Karanda police and an attempt to murder Mir Hasan of Muhammadabad police station area.

A gang chart was prepared in 2010 by combining both the cases and a case was registered under the Gangster Act.

Earlier on October 15, the Enforcement Directorate attached lands, a building and bank deposits worth more than Rs 73.43 lakh as part of the money laundering investigation against Mukhtar Ansari.

A five-time MLA Ansari has also been charged with the murder of a Congress leader in 1991 and in August same year, the Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's house. (ANI)