SC conditionally suspends conviction of former BSP MP Afzal Ansari in 2007 Gangsters Act case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday conditionally suspended the conviction of former BSP MP Afzal Ansari in a 2007 Gangsters Act case.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan in a majority verdict said that Ansari, a former MP from the Ghazipur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, will not cast his vote in the Lok Sabha nor draw any perk but can attend the proceedings of House.
It also directed the Allahabad High Court to dispose of the former MP's criminal appeal against his conviction and sentence by June 30, 2024.
Justice Datta said he has differed in his opinion with the majority verdict and dismissed Ansari's appeal.
On October 31, the top court had reserved its verdict on Ansari's plea seeking the suspension of his conviction in the case.
The Allahabad High Court on July 24 refused to suspend the conviction but granted bail to Ansari in the case.
The former MP appealed against the judgment of a special MP/MLA court that had sentenced him to four years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The special court in Ghazipur had on April 29 convicted Ansari and his brother Mukhtar Ansari, an ex-MLA, in the 2007 Gangsters Act case. While sentencing Afzal Ansari to four years in jail, it awarded 10 years of imprisonment to Mukhtar Ansari.
The brothers were booked under the UP Gangsters Act in connection with the murder of the then BJP MLA from Ghazipur Krishnanad Rai on November 29, 2005, and the kidnapping and murder of Varanasi-based trader Nand Kishore Rungta in 1997.
Afzal Ansari was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha on May 1 after being convicted and sentenced in the kidnapping-murder case.
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Latur teacher beats 32 students over suspicion of motorbike damage; arrested
Latur (Maharashtra) (PTI): Police have arrested a school teacher in Maharashtra's Latur district for allegedly thrashing 32 minor students, suspecting them of damaging his motorcycle, officials said.
Some pupils sustained injuries in the incident, which occurred at the private school hostel for students from classes 5 to 10 near Ahmedpur on the night of February 21, they said.
The accused, identified as Ujjwal Prakash Soni, suspected that students had damaged his motorcycle. He allegedly lost his temper and assaulted dozens of minor students with a bamboo stick, police said on Monday.
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He also allegedly threatened the children, claiming he would soon become the school principal and would then deal with them, the police said.
The principal of Christ International School, Zeba Nadar, later lodged a complaint at Ahmedpur Police Station.
The police arrested Soni after registering a case against him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
In an official statement, Principal Nadar said the school lodged the complaint on February 22 and assured that student safety remains the institution's top priority.
"The incident is deeply unfortunate and condemnable. The school administration stands firmly with the students and will ensure their well-being," the principal said.
