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The Supreme Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Umar Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in a criminal case registered against him during the 2022 assembly elections for alleged violation of the model code of conduct.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra granted relief to Umar Ansari and asked him to participate in the trial of the case. The bench took note that other accused in the case have been granted bail. It said that the offending statement of Ansari is the matter for trial and granted him anticipatory bail. Uttar Pradesh government had objected to the plea of Ansari seeking bail and asked the apex court that he must first surrender before the trial court and then seek bail. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ansari, submitted that the other accused have been granted regular bail in the matter. Ansari was booked for delivering a provocative speech against the Mau district administration while the model code of conduct was in place. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had refused anticipatory bail to him in the same case. He approached the top court against the High Court's December 2023 order. On December 19, 2023, the High Court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Ansari and said that looking at the facts and circumstances of the case, the offence was made out. The FIR was lodged in March 2022 at Kotwali police station in Mau district against Abbas Ansari, Umar Ansari, and others. It was alleged in the FIR that on March 3, 2022, at Pahadpura ground- Abbas Ansari, Umar Ansari, and organiser Mansoor Ahmad Ansari in a public meeting called for settling a score with the Mau administration. (ANI)
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