The Supreme Court on Tuesday regularised the interim bail earlier granted to Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari, son of the late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a case under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, passed the order while hearing submissions by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Nizam Pasha, who represented the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party legislator.
The case stems from an FIR registered on August 31, 2024, at the Kotwali Karvi police station in Chitrakoot district. Abbas Ansari and others, including Navneet Sachan, Niyaz Ansari, Faraz Khan, and Shahbaz Alam Khan, were accused of extortion and assault under provisions of the Gangsters Act.
Ansari was arrested under the Gangsters Act on September 6, 2024, after having already been taken into custody on November 4, 2022, in connection with other criminal cases. By March 2025, he had secured bail in all those other matters, leaving only the Gangsters Act case pending.
The Supreme Court, noting this context, had on March 7, 2025, granted him interim bail for six weeks with certain conditions, including that he could not leave Lucknow without permission from the investigating officer. Some of these conditions were subsequently relaxed.
Despite the Supreme Court’s relief, the Allahabad High Court had, on December 18, 2024, denied him bail in the Gangsters Act case.
The regularisation of Ansari’s bail now confirms his continued release, subject to any conditions the court may maintain. The move comes after the top court had earlier intervened to provide limited relief, leading to his release from Kasganj jail.
While the Supreme Court’s confirmation provides substantial respite to Abbas Ansari, proceedings in the Gangsters Act case will continue. The other co-accused remain part of the ongoing investigation.
Ansari, whose political profile has drawn national attention due to his family’s history, remains under legal scrutiny even as he steps out of jail on regularised bail.
