UP govt to SC: Mukhtar Ansari running illegal activities from jail

New Delhi, March 3 : The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is running his illegal activities from Rupnagar district jail in Punjab where he is lodged currently.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted before a bench comprising Ashok Bhushan and R.S. Reddy that Ansari is “dodging” the judicial system. These allegations were denied by the Punjab government.
Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the Punjab government, argued that state government has nothing to do with Ansari while he is in custody, instead he was behind bards due to judicial process, and questioned the maintainability of the UP government’s plea.
The UP government has moved the top court seeking a direction to the Punjab government and Rupnagar jail authority to immediately hand over the custody of Ansari, an MLA from Mau constituency, to district jail Banda.
Mehta submitted before the top court several cases are pending against Ansari in UP, and the Punjab jail authorities are denying handing him over to face trial in these matters.
“He (Ansari) is dodging the judicial system,” said Mehta.