The Mau Sadr MLA loses his seat in the assembly. The court also imposes a fine of Rs 3,000 on him.
LUCKNOW — Lawyers for Abbas Ansari, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party legislator from Mau constituency in Uttar Pradesh, will move an appeal before the sessions court against his conviction in a hate speech case.
The CJM (MP-MLA) court of Mau on Saturday sentenced Ansari to two years’ imprisonment, which also resulted in his disqualification from the assembly.
Ansari’s lawyer Daroga Singh said on Monday that all necessary documents, including a copy of the order from the CJM (MP-MLA) court, were being collected. “After compiling the documents and details, the application will be moved before the sessions court in a day or two,” he added.
Ansari, MLA from Mau Sadar, has also been fined Rs 3,000 in the hate speech case linked to the 2022 assembly elections. Ansari, son of Mau strongman Mukhtar Ansari, who contested the 2022 elections from Mau Sadar, was accused of making hate speech at a public meeting at Paharpur Maidan in Mau city. During his speech, he reportedly talked about settling accounts and teaching a lesson to the local administration after the elections.
Mukhtar Ansari died last year at the Banda jail, where he was serving his sentence.
Sub-Inspector Gangaram Bind filed the FIR at the city police station, naming Abbas Ansari and others as accused. Despite the case, Abbas Ansari won the Mau Sadar seat and became an MLA. However, after the BJP formed the state government, the police intensified their action on the hate speech case.
Mansoor Ansari, co-accused in the case, received six months in jail and a fine of Rs 1,000.
A strong police presence was seen outside the court before the verdict.
Abbas and Mansoor were convicted under IPC section 171-F (undue influence or personation at an election), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on the ground of religion, race, residence and others), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), said prosecuting officer Harendra Singh.
Under the Supreme Court guidelines and Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, any MP or MLA sentenced to more than two years in jail automatically loses assembly membership.
