Meerut legislator Rafiq Ansari avoided court appearances and attempted to get non-bailable warrants quashed in the high court.
Team Clarion
MEERUT – A Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator who faced 101 non-bailable warrants was finally arrested here on Monday by the Chaudandi Police Station officers and local police. The police have been conducting continuous raids to apprehend Rafiq Ansari, the SP MLA from Meerut, who had shown scant respect for the arrest warrants against him.
Ansari avoided court appearances and attempted to get non-bailable warrants quashed in the high court. This reluctance to face legal proceedings led the Allahabad High Court to express its displeasure, labelling the situation a “dangerous precedent”.
The high court’s stance was clear, highlighting that elected officials must maintain the highest ethical standards. The court emphasised that failure to execute the warrants and allowing the MLA to attend assembly sessions compromised the principles of accountability and ethical conduct.
The MLA’s lawyer, Amit Kumar Dixit, explained that the charges date back to 1995 when Ansari, then a councillor, was implicated in rioting and vandalism related to protests against the consumption of slaughtered animals. Initially, Ansari’s name was not included in the FIR, which was registered against 35 to 40 individuals. His name was later added to the list of the accused. The first warrant in this case was issued in 1997, the lawyer said.The high court took a stringent view of the MLA’s petition to quash the warrants. The court stated that the non-execution of the warrants and permitting Ansari to participate in assembly proceedings set a serious and dangerous precedent. “Elected officials must uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct and accountability, lest they betray their mandate of public good,” the court observed. After the court expressed its displeasure, a directive was issued to send a copy of the court’s order to the Principal Secretary of the assembly to inform the Speaker. Additionally, the Director General of Police (DGP) was instructed to ensure the execution of the warrants issued by the trial court. The high court mandated an affidavit of compliance to be filed by July 22.
Ansari’s arrest marks a significant development in a case that has spanned nearly three decades, underscoring the judiciary’s firm stance on accountability and enforcing legal obligations for all, irrespective of their political standing.
