Supreme Court refused to entertain Atiq Ahmed's plea seeking protection, don't want to be shifted to UP jail. The top court asked Atiq Ahmed's lawyer to move High Court with his grievances.
The gangster-turned-politician had filed petition in the Supreme Court raising apprehensions of danger to life on being shifted to Uttar Pradesh jail in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
Supreme Court told 'process prescribe under law' will be followed
A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi granted former Samajwadi Party leader Ahmad liberty to approach the Allahabad High Court for protection after he claimed his life was under threat while being in the custody of UP police. Since he is in judicial custody, Uttar Pradesh state machinery will take care of his protection.
"It is not a case where this court is going to interfere. Liberty granted to move an appropriate application before the High Court. Whatever is the process prescribed under the law will be followed," the bench said.
Aitq Ahmed to be produced before Prayagraj court today
Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf will be produced in a Prayagraj court in connection with a kidnapping case of Umesh Pal. Pal, a witness of BSP MLA Raju pal murder, was killed last month in an attack alleged orchestrated by the Samajwadi Party leader and his brother.
The brothers were brought to the Naini Central Jail here on Monday, after long road journeys from two separate prisons. Security has been tightened in the court premises as well as the jail complex where the accused are lodged.
Ahmed was shifted to Sabarmati jail in 2019 after SC order
Ahmed, a former Samajwadi Party MP from Phulpur, was shifted to the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat in June 2019 following a Supreme Court order after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of real estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in prison in Uttar Pradesh.
He is named in more than 100 criminal cases, including the Umesh Pal murder case, police said.
Umesh Pal kidnapping case
After the killing of BSP MLA Raju Pal on January 25, 2005, Umesh Pal, then a Zila Panchayat member, had told police he was a witness to the murder. Umesh Pal reportedly said that when he refused to retract and buckle under pressure from Ahmed, he was kidnapped at gunpoint on February 28, 2006.
The FIR was registered on July 5, 2007, against Ahmed, his brother, and four unidentified people.
Umesh Pal was gunned down outside his home earlier this year
Umesh Pal was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on February 24. Twelve cases of murder are registered against Atiq in cases ranging from 1984 to other cases in 1991, 1995, 2001, 2002 adn 2005.
Police may take him in custody to interrogate him on the murder of Umesh Pal. On a complaint from Umesh Pal's wife, a case was lodged at the Dhoomanganj Police Station in Prayagraj against Ahmed, his brother, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
