The Supreme Court on Friday eased the bail conditions imposed on Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari in a case under the UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, allowing him to stay at his family home in Ghazipur during visits to his Mau constituency.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh passed the order while modifying its earlier direction dated March 7, which had restricted Ansari—son of late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari—to remain in Lucknow and seek prior permission to visit Mau. The modification follows the court’s perusal of a confidential report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the MLA, told the court that his client had not visited his constituency in the last six months. “My Mau constituency is 350 km from Lucknow. How can I return the same day? My home at Ghazipur is just 40 km from Mau. Kindly allow me to stay there,” Sibal pleaded.
The court accepted the request, allowing Ansari to stay in Ghazipur for up to three nights per visit. However, it imposed a restriction barring him from attending any political events or meetings during such visits. The court also allowed Ansari to file a response to the confidential status report submitted by the state.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, appearing for the state government, noted that Ansari had been absent from court proceedings in other cases. Justice Kant remarked that this may have been due to the stringent bail conditions earlier imposed.
On March 7, the Supreme Court had granted Ansari six weeks’ interim bail in the gangster case, directing him to stay at his official residence in Lucknow and obtain prior approval for constituency visits. He was also barred from leaving Uttar Pradesh or speaking publicly on the pending cases. The court had sought a compliance report from the state police within six weeks.
Ansari had been in custody since November 4, 2022, and was arrested under the Gangsters Act on September 6, 2024. He had earlier sought permission to attend trial court proceedings virtually, citing security concerns, but the Supreme Court declined the request, suggesting that he approach the High Court instead.
An FIR was registered against him on August 31, 2024, at Kotwali Karvi police station in Chitrakoot under Sections 2 and 3 of the Gangsters Act. Co-accused in the case include Navneet Sachan, Niyaz Ansari, Faraz Khan, and Shahbaz Alam Khan, with allegations of extortion and assault.
Ansari’s interim bail, now with relaxed terms, clears the path for his release from Kasganj Jail, as he already holds bail in other criminal matters.
