The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, seeking a response to the bail plea filed by MLA Abbas Ansari concerning the Chitrakoot jail case. The Lucknow bench of the High Court had previously rejected Abbas Ansari’s bail plea, which he has now challenged in the Supreme Court.
Abbas Ansari, along with Chitrakoot jail officials and his wife, Nikhat Bano, has been accused in this case. Ansari was transferred from Naini Jail to Chitrakoot District Jail on November 18, 2022, in connection with a money laundering case. He is accused of illegally meeting his wife in Chitrakoot jail. Gangster charges were brought against Abbas Ansari and four others, including the jail canteen contractor, Nikhat’s driver, Niaz Ansari, Samajwadi Party leader Faraz Khan, and Shahbaz Alam Khan of Varanasi, who allegedly transferred money to various accounts.
The police initiated an investigation against the jail canteen contractor, Nikhat, and others. The jail superintendent, deputy jailer, warden, and several others were arrested, with some subsequently released on bail. On February 10, 2023, Chitrakoot DM Abhishek Anand and SP Vrinda Shukla raided the jail, detaining Nikhat Ansari on the spot.
