SC allows Abbas Ansari to attend 'Fatiha' ritual of father Mukhtar Ansari

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 9 April, allowed jailed Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari to attend the 'Fatiha' ritual (prayers recited at important occasions including weddings, and for the dead) of his father gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died recently, on 10 April.

Mukhtar Ansari, who had dozens of cases against him and was convicted in some, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on 28 March while in judicial custody.

Abbas Ansari is currently lodged in Kasganj district jail in Uttar Pradesh under judicial custody in connection with some criminal cases.

His plea seeking permission to attend his father's 'Fatiha' ritual came up for hearing before a bench of justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan. The bench said it saw no reason to deny him permission to attend the event.

Following apprehensions voiced by the Uttar Pradesh government on maintenance of law and order, the apex court directed that Abbas Ansari shall be taken from Kasganj jail to his native place Ghazipur in police custody with adequate security. It asked the state police chief to ensure everything went off peacefully.

The bench said Abbas Ansari shall be allowed to meet his family members on 11 and 12 April. It said he shall be brought back to Kasganj jail on 13 April.

On 5 April, the apex court had sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Abbas Ansari's plea seeking permission to attend the 'Fatiha'.

He had initially moved the top court seeking permission to attend the last rites of his father but his petition could not be listed in time and the funeral was over.

Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar constituency, was laid to rest in Ghazipur on 30 March amid a security blanket.

The 63-year-old had been behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005 and had over 60 criminal cases against him.

He died on 28 March night at Rani Durgawati Medical College after being taken there from Banda jail when his condition deteriorated.