Public money won't be used to pay lawyers for Mukhtar Ansari: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that his government has returned the file of the expenses of the lawyers representing gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's case

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said that his government has returned the file of the expenses of the lawyers representing gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's case, adding that the government is planning to charge expenses from the minister of the previous government who had ordered him to be kept in the state.

"The UP gangster was kept in Ropar Jail with facilities. He did not appear despite the warrants issued 48 times. Expensive lawyers were hired with expenses of Rs 55 lakh. I returned the file for clearing the expenses from money collected through taxes paid by people. The minister who was responsible for the decision (on Ansari), he will be asked to pay," Mann said in a tweet.

In the year 2019, Mukhtar Ansari, MLA from Mau, was lodged in Punjab's Ropar jail where he was named in an extortion case. Ansari did not apply for bail in the FIR registered in Punjab and the police did not file any charge sheet against him.

In multiple cases, several production warrants were issued by Uttar Pradesh Police against Ansari but Punjab Police did not allow him to be shifted to Uttar Pradesh on the grounds of ill health.

Supreme Court in the year 2021 ordered the transfer of mafia don and BSP MLA Mukhtar Ansari from Ropar jail in Punjab to Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh.

Yesterday Uttar Pradesh police declared a bounty of Rs 25,000 on gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's wife, Afsa Ansari.

A reward of Rs 25,000 has been declared on the arrest of Afsa Ansari, wife of Mukhtar Ansari, who is wanted in a case registered under the Gangsters Act at Police Station Dakshin Tola," Mahesh Singh Attri, Additional Superintendent of Police, Mau said.

Earlier in January this year, the police registered a murder case against Mukhtar Ansari in connection to the 2001 'Usri Chatti' gang war incident. A case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Ansari at PS Mohammadabad in Ghazipur.