Mafia leader-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed will be produced before the Prayagraj court on Monday in connection with the Umesh Pal abduction case.
Security has been tightened outside the residence of Umesh Pal, reported ANI. Umesh Pal, who was later murdered, had filed a case that he was allegedly abducted and harassed by Ahmed’s men.
District Bar Association, Prayagraj, said that the hearing will not be held in any other cases except the Umesh Pal abduction case on Tuesday in the MP-MLA court of Prayagraj. "A letter has been written to the Minister of District Advocates Association by the Presiding Officer of MP MLA Court. A request also has been made to pronounce a verdict on March 28 itself," the association was quoted by ANI.
Security has been beefed up outside Naini jail. A heavy deployment of uniformed personnel has been posted outside the jail premises.
As per court orders, Atiq Ahmed was taken out by a 45-member team of Uttar Pradesh police from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail where he was lodged. The convoy of police made a 36-hour-long journey before reaching the Prayagraj jail on Monday morning.
Ahmed's brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf was also brought to the Naini jail on Monday. Ashraf has been lodged in the Bareilly District Jail since July 2020.
Ashraf too is involved in the killing of Raju Pal, who was shot dead in 2005. Umesh Pal, a key witness in the former BSP MLA's murder case, was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on February 24.
On a complaint from Umesh Pal's wife Jaya, a case was lodged at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj against Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.
Plea rejected
Meanwhile, a CBI court in Lucknow has rejected a plea moved by gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his son Umar, seeking a clean chit in an extortion case.
The court of Special CBI Judge Ajay Vikram Singh has summoned Ahmed, Umar and the other accused on April 7 for framing charges. The applicants were booked in connection with the 2018 abduction of Lucknow-based businessman Mohit Jaiswal, who was then taken to the Deoria district jail.
Jaiswal was allegedly thrashed in jail in the presence of Ahmed and subsequently, forced to resign from his four companies in which the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP inducted his own men, Zaki Ahmed and Mohammad Farukh.
(With inputs from PTI)
