2022 extortion case: Former SP MLA Irfan Solanki appears in Kanpur Court

Irfan Solanki and his younger brother Rizwan Solanki appeared in Kanpur District and Sessions Court amid heavy security arrangements.

Irfan Solanki's lawyer, Saeed Naqvi, stated, "They have requested the court to consider that after the arson case was registered in 2022, multiple different cases were filed against their client one after another. The extortion case is not being substantiated in any way, as it does not show the crime date or year. Therefore, at the very least, the charges in this case should be framed minimally".

Currently, former Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki is in UP's Maharajganj jail, serving a 7-year sentence for the arson case.

Earlier in June, the MP MLA court in Kanpur sentenced Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki and his younger brother Rizwan Solanki, along with three others, to 7 years in prison and fined them Rs 20,000 each in an arson case.

On November 8, 2022, Nazir Fatima lodged an FIR in Jajmau police station against Irfan Solanki, Rizwan Solanki, and three other people under sections 436, 506, 504, 147, 427, 386 and 120B of the IPC, and alleged that Irfan Solanki and his brother Rizwan Solanki and others, as part of a conspiracy, set her house on fire so that they could take over her land."All the sentences will run simultaneously.

The maximum sentence is 7 years. A total fine of Rs 30,500 has been imposed on each convict. "I think the court's order is justified," prosecution lawyer Prachi Shrivastav said.

MLA Irfan Solanki's advocate, Karim Siddiqui, disagreed with the judgement by the MP MLA court."The court observed that the prosecution has not been able to present any evidence... We do not agree with this judgement of the court," he said.

Earlier on June 3, the court found Samajwadi Party MLA from Kanpur, Irfan Solanki, guilty under sections 436, 427, 147, 504, 506, and 323.Notably, on June 3, the court has acquitted Irfan Solanki in sections 386, 149, and 120 B. (ANI)