VARANASI: Jailed mafia don Mukhtar Ansari has been awarded 10 years imprisonment by MP-MLA court of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, while a penalty of Rs 5 lakh has also been slapped on him in a 2009 Gangster Act case.
Mukhtar’s close associate and co-accused in this case- Sonu Yadav was awarded five years imprisonment and penalty Rs 2 lakhs.
This is the sixth time since September 2022 when Mukhtar has been awarded punishment. He had been sentenced life term in 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case while 10 years imprisonment had also been sentenced to him in two more cases.
After convicting Mukhtar and Sonu on Thursday additional session judge-III (MP-MLA) Arvind Kumar Mishra on Friday late afternoon pronounced the the quantum of punishment for duo. He awarded 10 year rigorous imprisonment to Mukhtar and also slapped penalty of Rs 5 lakhs on each of them. In case of failing to pay the penalty amount two years imprisonment will be added in their punishment, contained the judgement.
The court sentenced five-year imprisonment for Sonu and slapped penalty of Rs 2 lakhs on him. In case of failing to pay the penalty amount one year imprisonment will be added to his punishment.
Mukhtar had been booked under Gangster Act by Ghazipur police for third time in 2009 after Karanda police made him accused in two cases including one of murder attempt and criminal conspiracy lodged by Mir Hasan, and the Kapildeo Singh murder case that took place in Karanda police station area in 2009. Before it Mukhtar had already been booked under Gangster Act twice and he was acquitted in both cases.
According to Mukhtar’s lawyer Liyaqat Ali, in both of these cases Mukhtar had been acquitted by the courts concerned. However, the court in its judgement mentioned that as per FIRs Mukhtar, Sonu Yadav and Radhey Harijan (who was later eliminated in police encounter) were operating a gang but no argument took place regarding Radhey Harijan’s role. Court also took note of changing his statements by Mir Hasan during hearing of the case of murder attempt lodged by him while witnesses in Kapildeo Singh murder case turned hostile, said Ali adding, court considered that all these developments took due to pressure and terror of Mukhtar and convicted him on the same grounds.
