Afzal Ansari hopeful of getting back lawmaker status soon

Afzal Ansari, a five-time assembly member and two-time parliamentarian, is hopeful that he would get back his status as lawmaker after the Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the conviction of disqualification that he was subjected to after he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in a 2007 Gangster Act case on April 29, 2023.

“The Lok Sabha speaker will be apprised of the Supreme Court decision after which his disqualification is likely to be revoked and he would be allowed to attend House proceedings,” he said.

The SC decision has paved the way for the restoration of his status as a lawmaker but subject to the conditions that he will not be able to cast his votes or draw perks though he can attend House proceedings. His disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha came on May 1 earlier this year after his sentence of four years in prison by the Ghazipur MP/MLA court.

Afzal was Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP from Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency.

While talking over phone, Ansari said that earlier Allahabad high court had accepted his petition challenging the decision of the Ghazipur MP/MLA court against his conviction and sentencing of four years in prison and even granted bail to him but denied revoking his disqualification after which he approached the Supreme Court.

Afzal was convicted by the MP/MLA court along with his younger brother and five-time MLA from Mau assembly Mukhtar Ansari, who has criminal record of around 65 criminal cases registered against him since 1978. Mukhtar was awarded 10 years of imprisonment in the case of the Gangster Act imposed against them in 2007 in connection with the killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai on November 29, 2005, and the kidnapping-murder of BJP leader and Kishore Rungta on January 22, 1997. In the case, Mukhtar and his MP brother Afzal Ansari were convicted and slapped with 10-year and four-year prison terms, respectively. The court had imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh and ₹1 lakh on Mukhtar and Afzal.