Lucknow: CBI court frames charges against jailed gangster Atiq Ahmad in MLA murder case

LUCKNOW: The special CBI court in Lucknow framed charges against jailed gangster and former MP Atiq Ahmad in BSP MLA Raju Pal’s murder case on Thursday.
Atiq – who was lodged in Sabarmati jail – has been brought to Lucknow for the hearing as mandated by the court.
After initial investigation by UP Police, the CBI had taken over the investigations into the case in 2016 and filed a chargesheet against 10 persons, including jailed former MP Atiq Ahmed and his younger brother former MLA Ashraf alias Khalid Azim in 2019.
On Thursday, former MP Atiq Ahmad, former MLA Ashraf along with Gulshan, Farhan, Ranjeet Pal and Israr had appeared in the court and were charged by the court for murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting, rioting armed with deadly weapons.
Atiq was not charged under the Arms Act while five others, including Ashraf, were charged under the law.
The jailed gangster was brought from the Sabarmati jail by road under a thick security cover. A senior official told TOI that as many as 25 cops from Gujarat were part of the security contingent. Besides, as they entered UP, two platoons of PAC were added along with four inspectors and eight sub-inspectors under the charge of DSP-rank officers. Overall, five officials of CBI were heading the entire security team.
Earlier, the gangster was first brought to Lucknow jail around 9.30 pm and given a night halt. Thereafter, around 12.15 pm, he went for the appearance in the Lucknow CBI court. His brother, former MLA Ashraf, who was brought from Bareilly jail, also joined him during the hearing.