Umesh Pal murder case: SC adjourns hearing on Atiq Ahmed's plea seeking protection
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on a plea of jailed former Samajwadi Party MP and gangster Atiq Ahmed seeking protection, claiming he and his family have been falsely "roped in" as accused in the Umesh Pal murder case in Prayagraj.
A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi deferred the matter after Atiq's counsel sought time to file some additional documents containing statements.
"The matter was listed after urgent mentioning by the counsel for the applicant before the Chief Justice. Today, when the matter has come on board, the counsel has expressed inability to argue. List after one week," the bench said.
In his plea, Ahmed, who is currently lodged at the Ahmedabad central jail in Gujarat, has referred to the statement made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the floor of the assembly to "completely ruin and destroy" him and claimed there is a "genuine and perceptible threat" to his and his family members' lives.
He said the Uttar Pradesh Police in all likelihood will seek his transit remand and also police remand to take him from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj and he "genuinely apprehends that he may be eliminated during this transit period".
Ahmed has also sought directions to ensure that no physical or bodily injury or harm is done to him in any manner during police custody or interrogation.
He further sought a direction restraining Uttar Pradesh government and others from taking him from the Ahmedabad jail to Prayagraj or any other part of Uttar Pradesh.
Umesh Pal, who was the prime witness in BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder, and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead last Friday outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj.
Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 murder case in Prayagraj in which Ahmed and others are prime accused.
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MUDA case: CM has done nothing wrong, will come out clean, says DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Sep 25: Karnataka deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday backed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged MUDA land allotment scam, saying the latter has done nothing wrong and that he would come out clean in the matter.
He also said Siddaramaiah has no role in the matter and there could be the involvement of officers.
"The order given by the court to investigate him will happen. We are confident that there is no involvement of the Chief Minister," Shivakumar told reporters here.
He said, "if there is anything wrong happened then it must have been done by the officers, which I don’t know, but there is no involvement of the chief minister. I am making it very clear. He will come out clean. That is the message."
ALSO READ: Court orders Lokayukta probe against CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA land allotment case
Shivakumar said some people have expressed their views but they have not pointed out that the Chief Minister has done anything wrong.
On opposition BJP and the JD(S)' demand for Siddaramaiah’s resignation, the DCM said, "people who do politics will continue to do so but isn't there a difference between law and politics."
"There are so many investigations happening against many central ministers but they are still continuing (in their post). Let them resign first then we will discuss about this (Siddaramaiah) resignation."
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld the sanction granted by State Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi by MUDA in Mysuru.
The HC had also vacated its August 19 interim order directing the Special Court for People's Representatives to defer the decision on complaints against the Chief Minister, giving the green signal for ordering a probe.
It had also dismissed Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the legality of the Governor's August 16 order granting approval for investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
