2 weeks Ago
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Friday reserved its order on a bail application filed by former Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki regarding the 2022 Kanpur house arson case. Solanki had lost his membership of assembly (MLA) after a special court of Kanpur on June 7, 2024, awarded him and four others seven years imprisonment. This aligns with a Supreme Court ruling that stipulates the automatic termination of MP or MLA status for sentences surpassing two years.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising of justice Rajiv Gupta and justice Surendra Singh-I after hearing counsels for the applicant and additional advocate general, who represented the state govt, and complainant's counsel. The case pertains to setting on fire the house of one Fatima of Defence Colony in Jajmau area in 2022 allegedly by Solanki, the then MLA of Kanpur Cantt, and others in a bid to grab the plot. They later surrendered before the police and were booked under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act.
Solanki filed the present criminal appeal before the high court against this judgment. He has requested the court to release him on bail during the pendency of this criminal appeal. Along with the bail plea, Solanki has also filed an application for stay of sentence.
Earlier, while representing the appellant, his counsels argued that the case relies on circumstantial evidence without clear proof of which accused initiated the fire. They maintained that political rivalry motivated the charges against Solanki. Besides, the punishment awarded is of seven years and he has already spent two years in jail.
Solanki is currently lodged in Maharajganj district jail. On the other hand, the additional advocate general representing the state govt, opposed the bail saying that the prosecution had established the guilt beyond reasonable doubt, warranting the conviction and making the appellant ineligible for release..
