Atiq Ahmed held guilty in 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case, his brother acquitted
2 min read 28 Mar 2023, 01:47 PM ISTAtiq is held guilty by the Prayagraj MP-MLA court but the quantum of punishment will be pronounced later in the day
PremiumThe Prayagraj MP-MLA Court in Uttar Pradesh found Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case today.
Government counsel Gulab Chandra Agrahari stated that Ahmed, Saulat Hanif, a lawyer, and Dinesh Pasi were found guilty by special MP-MLA court judge Dinesh Chandr Shukla.
Seven others including Ahmed's brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf have been acquitted in the case, he said.
The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the court later in the day.
After traveling from Gujarat for more than 24 hours, Atiq Ahmed, a five-time MLA and an accused in the case, was transferred from Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail to Prayagraj's Naini Jail on Monday.
In the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, Ahmed is one of the accused.
On February 24, this year, Umesh Pal, a key witness in the Raju Pal murder case, and his two security personnel were shot to death in Prayagraj.
He was then a zila panchayat member when Umesh told police that he was a witness to the murder.
Umesh had alleged that when he refused to retract and buckle under pressure from Ahmed, he was kidnapped at gunpoint on February 28, 2006.
Pal was allegedly taken from a Land Cruiser near Phansi Imli in the Dhumanganj police station area by Atiq Ahmed. He was beaten and electrocuted while he was kept in his Chakia office.
On March 1, 2006, Atiq ordered Umesh Pal to write a statement in his favor, stating that he was not at the scene and did not want to testify.
Following the formation of the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007, Umesh Pal filed a case of kidnapping at the Dhumanganj police station in July 2007.
The accused was charged by the court in 2009, and the case's trial began.
The police submitted a chargesheet in the matter against 11 people. One of them later died.
In this case, in 2016, an attempt was made to dissuade Umesh Pal by throwing him from the fourth floor of the courthouse.
An FIR was registered in this matter at the Colonelganj police station.
Umesh Pal requested an early settlement of the case in a High Court application. The Allahabad High Court mandated that the case's hearing be completed by March 16, 2023, in two months.
The prosecution provided eight witnesses, while the defense provided fifty.
On February 24, after returning from defending this case, Umesh Pal was gunned down.
