Seven convicted in 2005 murder of BSP MLA Pal

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow on Friday convicted seven men for the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker Raju Pal in 2005 and sentenced six of them to life imprisonment, drawing the curtain on a sensational daylight killing that came to exemplify the influence that strongmen and criminals once held on the politics of India’s most-populous state.

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad was also an accused in the same case but the proceedings against him and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf were stopped after they were gunned down by three assailants posing as journalists outside a hospital in Prayagraj last year.

A third accused, Rafiq Ahmed, died in prison in 2020.

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Additional district judge Kavita Mishra, who was presiding over the special CBI court, convicted Abid Pradhan, Javed (who also goes by Bachau and Shamsul Haq), Ranjeet Pal, Abdul Kavi, Gulhasan, Mohammed Farhan and Israr Ahmed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting by using weapon), 149 (committing crime for a common object), 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder).

The court also imposed a fine of ₹1.90 lakh each on all those convicted.

Additionally, Farhanwas awarded a four-year prison term under Section 27 of the Arms Act and another fine of ₹25,000 was imposed on him.

The court also declared accused Israr Ahmad an absconder and issued a non-bailable warrant against him. He has been on the run since 2005.

Raju Pal was gunned down outside his house on January 25, 2005 in Prayagraj as a result of political rivalry with Atiq Ahmad’s brother Ashraf, whom he had defeated in the 2004 bypoll to the Allahabad West assembly seat.

The BSP leader had lost the election to the same seat to Atiq Ahmad in 2002 but when Atiq vacated it after being elected to the Lok Sabha, Pal defeated Ashraf in the bypoll.

The brazen murder of the lawmaker sparked sweeping outrage and forced the then Samajwadi Party state government to move against Atiq — a former five-time state legislator and former Lok Sabha member who had 100 cases against him — and charge him with murder. The case also underlined the influence strongmen had over the state’s politics during the time.

Soon after the verdict, Puja Pal, the Samajwadi Party MLA from Kaushambi’s Chayal, said truth can never be defeated.

“We have got justice today. I respect the court’s decision. The struggle that has been going on for 19 years has finally borne fruit,” she said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe in 2016.

Pal was murdered nine days after his wedding and his wife Puja Pal lodged a first information report at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj on the same day, naming eight accused, including Atiq and Ashraf.

But as the probe moved at a snail’s pace and Atiq continued to run his fief from behind bars, Puja Pal approached the Supreme Court in December 2015, seeking a CBI probe. Following the apex court’s order, the case was transferred to CBI on January 22, 2016.

According to district government counsel (Lucknow) Manoj Tripathi, the Supreme Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to transfer the investigation to CBI.

The Raju Pal murder case again jumped into spotlight after advocate Umesh Pal, who was a witness in the 2005 case, was killed outside his home in Prayagraj by armed men who opened fire on the lawyer and his two police guards on February 24, 2023.

On a complaint filed by Umesh’s wife Jaya Pal, a first information report was registered against 27 people, including Atiq Ahmad, his wife Shaista Parveen and sons Umar, Ali and Asad, and others. They were booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

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Ruksana Begum, who’s family was friends with Raju Pal, was a witness to the incident. Pal had offered her a lift in his car when he was attacked.

“Raju Pal was driving the car when it was fired on. Two bullets hit me and fell unconscious... Remembering how Raju [Pal] was killed before my eyes still sends shivers down my spine,” she said.

“The incident changed our lives forever as Atiq [Ahmed] and his gang came after us after the murder. He was our family friend and we supported him when he contested elections. So, we decided to become witnesses in his murder case as well,” she added.

The trial began in 2017. It had 21 witnesses.

It was not clear if the defence will move the high court. The defence lawyer declined a request for comment.

The state government said the criminals had been brought to justice.

“Effective prosecution by the state government in trial courts ensured that criminals were brought to justice. There are no unnecessary adjournments during hearing of the cases,” said additional advocate general Vinod Kumar Shahi.

Owing to the improved law and order situation, witnesses are turning up in courts to record their statements without fear, he added.

The BSP did not comment on the verdict.