A special MP/MLA court in Varanasi on Wednesday sentenced gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in a 36-year-old fake arms licence case. On Tuesday, the court convicted Mukhtar Ansari and fixed March 13 for pronouncing the quantum of punishment in the case.

During the hearing, accused Mukhtar Ansari had appeared in the court through videoconferencing from Banda jail where he is lodged.

After hearing the matter, MP/MLA court of Special Judge (MP-MLA) Avnish Gautam convicted Mukhtar guilty in the case under section 428 (mischief), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 30 of the Arms Act, Singh said.

What’s the case?

On June 10, 1987, Mukhtar Ansari had applied to the district magistrate, Ghazipur, for the licence of a double-barrel gun. Later, the arms licence was obtained with fake signatures of the district magistrate and the superintendent of police.

On December 4, 1990, when this fraud was exposed, the CB-CID lodged a complaint with the police and based on the complaint, a case under various sections of IPC against five persons, including Mukhtar Ansari, was registered at Mohadabad police station, Ghazipur.

The charge sheet was sent to the court in 1997 against the then ordnance clerk Gaurishankar Srivastava and Mukhtar Ansari. Gaurishankar Srivastava died during the hearing of the case. In the case, the statements of 10 witnesses were recorded were recorded by the prosecution.