Supreme Court Dismisses Inquiry Request into Mukhtar Ansari's Death
Supreme Court's Decision on Mukhtar Ansari's Case
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court declined to consider a petition that sought an investigation into the death of Mukhtar Ansari, a gangster-turned-politician, as reported by a legal news outlet.
A panel comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal advised Umar Ansari, Mukhtar's son, to take his concerns to the Allahabad High Court instead.
Umar had initially filed the petition while his father was still alive and incarcerated, requesting protection and a transfer to a prison outside Uttar Pradesh.
Mukhtar Ansari passed away in custody at Banda Medical College in Uttar Pradesh on March 28, 2024, with hospital officials attributing his death to cardiac arrest.
Following his father's death, Umar sought to modify his petition to include a request for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Mukhtar's demise, alleging that he had been poisoned and denied necessary medical care.
However, the Supreme Court chose not to entertain the amended petition, noting that it had previously considered Umar's case under Article 32 of the Constitution solely because it involved a request for a jail transfer, as reported by the legal news outlet.
Article 32 permits individuals to approach the Supreme Court to enforce their fundamental rights.
Mukhtar Ansari faced a total of 65 legal cases and had been incarcerated since 2005 after surrendering to authorities in connection with a communal riot in Mau.
On March 14 of the previous year, he received a life sentence from a special court for MPs and MLAs related to the 34-year-old Ghazipur fake arms license case, marking his seventh conviction in just 18 months.
Just a week prior to his passing, Mukhtar had informed a Barabanki court that his health had significantly declined after allegedly being served food contaminated with poison while in prison, as reported by a news agency.
He claimed that he had been poisoned approximately 40 days earlier as well.