New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Uttar Pradesh MP Abbas Ansari in an arms license case registered in Lucknow in October 2019.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing Abbas Ansari challenging the Allahabad High Court order rejecting his bail petition.

Abbas Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, had moved the Supreme Court against the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court last November Order issued on September 20th.

On October 12, 2019, an FIR was lodged against the MLA of Mau constituency for alleged irregularities in obtaining arms licenses and purchasing firearms.

During arguments on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Abbas Ansari, said the petitioner was wrongly implicated in the case. Lawyers representing Uttar Pradesh opposed the request.

The Supreme Court on January 22 sought the Uttar Pradesh government’s response to the plea.

“Though the license originally issued to the applicant (Abbas Ansari) in Lucknow lapsed on October 1, 2015, by virtue of the same license, he was issued a license in New Delhi on June 1, 2017, and purchased as many as seven firearms,” ​​the high court noted in its order.

Abbas Ansari obtained a gun license from Lucknow in 2012.

The High Court noted that Abbas Ansari was given a revolver that the shooter was not allowed to use and that he had 4,431 rounds of ammunition, many of which had metal casings that the shooter was not allowed to use.

Abbas Ansari is said to be a competitive shooter who has won medals in shooting championships.

In rejecting his bail application, the High Court said, “Given the nature of the charges against the applicant… the applicant’s position as an expert shooter and a member of the Legislative Assembly, the likelihood that the applicant would be able to influence the witnesses before him Granted bail, I am of the considered opinion that the above facts do not entitle the applicant to the discretion of this Court to extend his bail.” Abbas Ansari, by virtue of his then association with the Samajwadi Party (SP)-aligned Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) won the 2022 assembly elections.

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