PRAYAGRAJ: An MP-MLA court here held gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and two others guilty on Tuesday in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for life. Ahmed's brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf and six others were acquitted by the court. This is Ahmed's first conviction even though more than 100 cases were registered against the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP over the years.


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Government counsel Gulab Chandra Agrahari said special MP-MLA court judge Dinesh Chandra Shukla held Ahmed, Saulat Hanif, a lawyer, and Dinesh Pasi guilty under section 364A (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).


"The court has sentenced the trio to rigorous imprisonment for life and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each," Agrahari said, adding that the amount will be given to the family of Umesh Pal, who was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on February 24.


The two brothers have also been named as an accused in the murder case. 


After the completion of the court formalities, Ahmed and others were taken back to the Naini Central Jail in separate police vans. In the evening, a police cavalcade carrying Ahmed left for the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, a senior official said.


Ahmed was brought from the Sabarmati jail by road for the hearing in the MP-MLA court here. He was kept in the Naini jail before the hearing. "According to the orders of the honourable court, Atiq Ahmed has left for the Sabarmati Central Jail," Naini Central Jail's Senior Superintendent Shashikant told PTI.


Asked about Ashraf, Shashikant said he has "left for Bareilly".


Replying to reporters' queries before being taken to the Naini jail from the court, Ahmed said from inside the police van, "I have respect for courts.... This punishment is unjust.... I will move the high court against it."


Earlier, when Ahmed and Ashraf were produced in the court, a number of lawyers raised slogans of "phansi do" (give them the death penalty).


Ahmed's counsel Dayashankar Mishra said they have the right to appeal and they will approach the high court against the conviction. He said Ahmed will be kept in the Sabarmati jail in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision.


Reacting to the judgment, Umesh Pal's mother Shanti Devi said she has full faith in the judiciary, but expressed apprehension that Ahmed "could do anything from the jail".


"I request the court to award him capital punishment for getting my son killed," she said, but added that she will not challenge the court order.


"My son fought like a lion. He was awaiting a judgment in this case. He was sure that Ahmed would get punished. But he (Ahmed) got him killed. We will not challenge the court order. I want to request the chief minister to take care of us," she said.


Reacting to the court verdict, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said the state government is running a campaign against crime and criminals and taking up their cases in courts for conviction.


"Our government is committed to checking incidents of crime and curbing criminal activities. We are taking up cases in courts to ensure conviction. No one will be allowed to play with law and order, which is our top priority," Pathak said.


Additional Director General (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said the state government has zero tolerance towards gangsters and they are being identified irrespective of their areas of operation, caste and religion.


"The anti-mafia task force of the state police is directly monitored by the DGP. In the past few years, illegal properties worth Rs 2,827 crore of such gangsters were either seized or demolished. This is for the first time that Atiq Ahmed has been convicted by a court due to the evidence, witnesses and prosecution officers of the state government," he said.


"All police personnel of the state are committed to demolishing the economic empires of gangsters. In the days to come, we will ensure punishment to all such gangsters by taking up their cases in courts effectively," Kumar said.


The kidnapping case against Ahmed, Ashraf and nine others emanates from the killing of then Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal on January 25, 2005. Umesh Pal, who was then a zila panchayat member, had told police that he was a witness to Raju Pal's killing.


Umesh Pal had subsequently alleged that he was abducted at gunpoint on February 28, 2006 as he refused to retract under pressure from Ahmed.


An FIR was registered against Ahmed, his brother and nine others on July 5, 2007. Police had submitted a chargesheet against the 11 people. One of them died subsequently.


Ahmed and Ashraf are also accused of being involved in a conspiracy, while they were in prison, to kill Umesh Pal. On a complaint from Umesh Pal's wife Jaya, a case was filed at the Dhoomanganj police station in Prayagraj against Ahmed, his brother, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.


Ahmed, Ashraf and the other accused were brought to the court from the Naini jail in separate police vans and produced before the judge amid tight security.


The two brothers were brought to the Naini jail on Monday after long road journeys from two separate prisons. Umesh Pal's wife had earlier said she would not go to the court but would "pray" that Ahmed gets capital punishment.


"I will pray for capital punishment for Ahmed. If they get life imprisonment, they will continue to do the same things that they did with my husband," she told reporters.


Ahmed (60), a former SP MP from Phulpur, was shifted to the Sabarmati jail in June 2019 following a Supreme Court order, after he was accused of orchestrating the abduction and assault of real-estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in prison in Uttar Pradesh.


He is also a five-time former MLA from the Allahabad West Assembly constituency.