MLA Fund Misappropriation Case in Mukhtar Ansari Bail Refuses: Allahabad HC

In denying bail to former MLA Mukhtar Ansari, who is currently incarcerated in connection with a case of misappropriation of MLA funds for 2012-13, the High Court of Allahabad referred to Ansari as a feared white-collar criminal, an interstate mafia, and a social scourge.

According to the Bench of Justice Rahul Chaturvedi, Ansari is a repeat offender who began his criminal career in 1986 but managed to avoid a single conviction.

In this case, a FIR was filed against Ansari last year for the misuse of Rs. 25 lac in MLA funds that were allocated to the school, but an inspection revealed that the funds were not utilised properly at the school in question.

Ansari then filed a petition to quash the FIR, stating that he has been imprisoned for the past 17 years despite having committed no wrongdoing.

Ansari added that the District Administration is responsible for verifying the veracity of his and the schools' recommendations.

Nonetheless, the High Court noted that evidence suggests that money withdrawn from the Vidhayak Nidhi was used to expand an existing school of which Ansari is the founder, and not to establish a new school, as the money was originally intended for.

According to the Bench, if an incumbent MLA transfers funds from his Vidhayak Nidhi to the President of his own party, the MLA is liable for any wrongdoing.

Significantly, the court stated that Ansari has a lengthy criminal record, despite the fact that he has been elected six times as an MLA.

The court referred to his election as the ugliest aspect of democracy, noting that he faces prosecution in nearly two dozen cases, yet the public elected him MLA six times in a row.

The court denied bail to Ansari in this case after concluding that he is a suspect who stole public funds through Vidhiyak Nidhi and distributed them to his loved ones.

The Court requested that the UP government form a committee led by the Speaker of the Assembly and comprised of three senior bureaucrats to audit Vidhayak Nidhi and its utilisation.

D.D: 13 JUNE, 2022

Mukhtar Ansari VERSUS State of UP