The Allahabad High Court has finally granted bail to gangster-turned-politician and former MLA Mukhtar Ansari in a 2007 case lodged under the Gangster Act on Monday.Mukhtar Ansari gets bail in 2007 case under Gangster ActThe HCs order came on Mukhtar Ansaris plea against a special MP-MLA court in Ghazipur which sentenced him to 10 years of jail and imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on him in the case in April this year.While granting him bail, a single-judge bench of Justice Raj Beer Singh also stayed the fine. However, the bench refused to stay the conviction in this matter, saying that it will be heard at a later stage.Despite getting bail, the 60-year-old ex-MLA, who is currently lodged in the Banda Jail, is likely to remain in the prison as he is accused in several other cases. In June, a court in Varanasi had awarded a life sentence to him in a murder case.Murder case on AnsariOn September 20, a counsel for Ansari had argued in the court that the Gangsters Act was imposed on the appellant based on his alleged involvement in the murder of BJP MLA Krishna Nand Rai in 2005 and in that case, he had already been acquitted during the hearing of the case.Also, it was argued by the appellants counsel that Mukhtar Ansari has served more than a 10-year sentence in the trial itself, so there is no justification to keep him in jail even after conviction.The state counsel had opposed the bail plea saying that there are sufficient grounds to keep him in jail. After hearing the parties, the HC had reserved its order.Moreover, the MP-MLA court had also sentenced Ansaris brother Afzal Ansari to four years in jail in the gangster case.
