SC allows UP MLA Abbas Ansari to attend 'Fatiha' ritual of father Mukhtar Ansari

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed jailed Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari to attend the 'Fatiha' ritual of his father gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died recently, on April 10.

Mukhtar Ansari, who had dozens of cases against him and was convicted in some, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on March 28 while in judicial custody.

Abbas Ansari is currently lodged in Kasganj district jail in Uttar Pradesh under judicial custody in connection with some criminal cases.

His plea seeking permission to attend his father's 'Fatiha' ritual came up for hearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan. The bench said it saw no reason to deny him permission to attend the event.

Following apprehensions voiced by the Uttar Pradesh government on maintenance of law and order, the apex court directed that Abbas Ansari shall be taken from Kasganj jail to his native place Ghazipur in police custody with adequate security. It asked the state police chief to ensure everything went off peacefully.

The bench said Abbas Ansari shall be allowed to meet his family members on April 11 and 12. It said he shall be brought back to Kasganj jail on April 13.

On April 5, the apex court had sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Abbas Ansari's plea seeking permission to attend the 'Fatiha'.

He had initially moved the top court seeking permission to attend the last rites of his father but his petition could not be listed in time and the funeral was over.

Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar constituency, was laid to rest in Ghazipur on March 30 amid a security blanket.

The 63-year-old had been behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005 and had over 60 criminal cases against him.

He died on March 28 night at Rani Durgawati Medical College after being taken there from Banda jail when his condition deteriorated.