Gangster-Politician Atiq Ahmed
Atiq Ahmed, a former gangster who is now a politician, wants a video conference sentencing hearing in a kidnapping case because he fears for his safety.
According to sources, Atiq Ahmed, a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh currently incarcerated in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, fears he will be killed either by a staged accident or an encounter while being transported to a court in Uttar Pradesh.
On March 28, Atiq Ahmed will be sentenced in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case. Earlier last month, another individual reportedly implicated in the murder investigation was shot in an altercation.
Atiq Ahmed is currently refusing to leave jail, despite the fact that an Uttar Pradesh Police squad is on its way to arrest him.
The team is in talks with the Sabarmati jail administration, who have informed them that they will require Supreme Court permission to take his custody.
According to sources, the 60-year-old has been detained at the request of the Supreme Court.
Atiq Ahmed is the primary suspect in the murder of BSP politician Raju Pal in 2005. He is also accused of murdering Umesh Pal, the main witness in the case.
Umesh Pal was kidnapped and then released in 2005. He was slain on February 24, the last day of the kidnapping trial. A video of the daylight murder went viral, prompting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to declare that he would eradicate crime syndicates in the state.
Vijay Chaudhary, alias Usman, the man who fired the initial shot at Umesh Pal, was killed in an encounter with Prayagraj police on March 14.
Sources claim that until they were recently advised otherwise, Atiq Ahmed’s legal team believed the sentence would take place via video conferencing. He would be driven to Prayagraj in a police vehicle, a journey that would take more than 30 hours.
According to legal team sources, the procedure of preparing the production warrant was quite clandestine.
Atiq Ahmed’s counsel will petition the Allahabad High Court for video-conferencing sentencing. His brother Ashraf Ahmed, who is currently imprisoned in Bareilly, will be brought to court.
The solicitor for Atiq Ahmed will soon submit a request to the Allahabad High Court seeking that, like the hearing, the court’s judgment also be delivered by video conferencing.
Former Uttar Pradesh Legislator and MP Atiq Ahmed are charged in more than 100 cases.
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