Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was handed a 10-year prison sentence with hard labor in connection with the 2009 Gangster Act case by a Ghazipur court. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh. This ruling follows his recent conviction in the same case.
Meanwhile, Ansari's associate Sonu Yadav received a 5-year prison sentence and was fined Rs 2 lakh.
Ansari, a day after he was held guilty, conveyed to MP/MLA court's judge Arvind Mishra, "I have nothing to do in this matter. I have been in jail since 2005."
His lawyer, meanwhile, said that the case is not maintainable. "We will appeal in the High Court, and hope to get justice," he said.
Ansari faced allegations of conspiring in relation to the 2009 murder of Kapil Dev Singh and was implicated in a separate case involving an assault on an individual named Meer Hasan.
However, the court acquitted Ansari in both these cases, first in 2011 and later in 2023.
In April of this year, Ansari was handed a 10-year prison sentence for his involvement in the 1996 abduction of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Nandkishore Rungta and the 2005 murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
