'No proof': Court acquits SP MLA in 1995 rioting case

SP MLA Rafiq Ansari was acquitted in a 1995 riot and arson case by the MP-MLA court due to lack of evidence. The case involved allegations of rioting and arson during a protest against slaughtered animals. Ansari faced multiple warrants and was detained for nearly 50 days, but all co-accused were previously acquitted.

MEERUT: SP MLA Rafiq Ansari , representing Meerut city assembly constituency, was acquitted Friday by MP-MLA court in a 1995 riot and arson case. The MLA's advocate, Vivek Kumar, said "the court found no evidence to proceed with the charges". The case, lodged on Sept 12, 1995, involved allegations of rioting and arson during a protest against consumption of slaughtered animals.

Initially, the FIR named 35 people under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), and 427 (mischief causing damage). "Ansari's name was not in the FIR but in the chargesheet filed in 1997 against 23 of 35 people," Kumar said. The MLA faced over 100 non-bailable warrants between 1997 and 2015 for failing to appear in court.

Allahabad HC, in an order on April 29 this year, directed the UP DGP to arrest him, leading to Ansari's detention on May 27 for nearly 50 days. After his acquittal , Ansari, a two-time MLA who defeated BJP's Kamal Dutt Sharma in 2022 assembly polls, expressed relief. "Justice is served.

It was a false case. I was confident the order will be in my favour. Apart from me, all 22 others accused in this case were already acquitted," he told TOI.

A govt advocate, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "All witnesses either passed away or turned hostile. The plaintiff is also deceased and the court found no evidence to continue." Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India .

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