Apex court suspends conviction of Ansari

PAVES WAY FOR RESTORATION OF MP STATUS - BUT WITH RIDERS

- Utkarsh Anand

The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the conviction of disqualified BSP MP Afzal Ansari in a 2007 Gangster Act case, paving the way for the restoration of his status as a lawmaker but subject to the conditions that he will not be able to participate in the proceedings of the House nor can he cast his vote or draw perks.

The court, however, allowed Ansari to contest the next general election in 2024 while directing the Election Commission not to notify the bye-election for Ansari's Ghazipur parliamentary constituency until his appeal against the conviction in the 2007 case is decided by the Allahabad High Court. Clarifying that the electoral fate of Ansari, if elected in 2024, will depend on the outcome of his appeal, the court set a deadline of June 30, 2024, for the high court to render its decision.

Ansari, a five-time assembly member and two-time parliamentarian, was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha on May 1 after being convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

Allowing Ansari's appeal in part, a three-judge bench, by 2:1, noted that the facts of the case required suspending Ansari's conviction because not only he stood convicted only in one case out of the seven FIRS lodged against him but also since the orders of the subordinate courts suggested there was no cogent evidenc to establish that Ansari had been indulging in anti-social activities and crimes such as murder or ransom.