Allahabad HC quashes Abbas Ansari’s conviction, restores assembly membership
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday overturned the conviction of Mau Sadar MLA Abbas Ansari in a case linked to a controversial speech made during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The ruling effectively reinstates his membership in the legislative assembly.
Justice Samir Jain set aside the May 2023 order of a special MP/MLA court in Mau, which had sentenced the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000.
Ansari had been convicted under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups), 189 (threat to public servant), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 171F (undue influence during elections) of the Indian Penal Code. His initial appeal before the appellate court was dismissed on July 5, 2023, after which he moved the High Court.
The case stemmed from remarks made at an election rally, where Ansari allegedly said that after the formation of the government, bureaucrats would not be transferred or posted for six months as “hisab-kitab (scores)” would first be settled.
Despite the controversy, Ansari secured a decisive victory in the 2022 assembly polls from Mau, defeating his nearest rival by over 38,000 votes.
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Meghalaya: Interstate ATM theft racket busted, 6 arrested
Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.
Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.
Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.
"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.
The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.
"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.
