No Allegation Of Misuse Of Concession Of Interim Bai: Supreme Court Confirms Bail To Ex-MLA Abbas Ansari In Gangster Act Case
The Court said that there is no allegation of misuse of the concession of interim bail.
The Supreme Court, today, made the interim bail granted to former Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari in a case registered under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, absolute.
Previously, in September, 2025, the Court relaxed the bail condition imposed on Ansari to stay at the official accommodation allotted to him at Lucknow.
The Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, while disposing off the petition, ordered, "The petitioner was granted interim bail by order dated...The matter is pending since then. There is no allegation of misuse of the concession of interim bail. The trial is going on. The cross-examination of PW3 is underway. In such circumstances, and without expressing any opinion on merits, the interim order dated...is made absolute and this petition stands disposed of."
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and Advocate Nizam Pasha appeared for Ansari.
Advocate Nizam Pasha submitted, "In this matter, your lordships had given me bail. First interim and then final to see my conduct. Now, nothing really survives in this matter; the bail may be made absolute. Even the status report of the state doesn’t indicate anything which they’re even alleging against me in terms of conduct...In fact, the High Court has now quashed this FIR..."
Background
Pertinently, on February 21, the Supreme Court had directed the Investigating Officer (IO) to complete the ongoing investigation and submit a status report within 10 days.
In related news, the Supreme Court, in January, had expressed concerns over the Allahabad High Court's delay in addressing a petition filed by Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari, alleging non-compliance with the Court’s directive to prioritize his case. The matter pertains to a disputed property where construction activities are ongoing despite the petitioner seeking interim relief.
It is also to be noted that the Allahabad High Court on May 9, 2024, rejected Abbas Ansari’s bail application, stating that the explanation regarding funds did not “reflect credibility, especially from the applicant who is a sitting MLA and an elected representative of the people.”
The Bench had considered the ‘family antecedents’ of the sitting MLA, including statements in the ECIR suggesting initial non-cooperation and evasion of summons until apprehended due to a lookout notice. During custody, Ansari claimed that he did not know where the alleged funds were coming from and simply stated that his family would arrange the funds whenever he needed them.
Earlier, in April 2024, the Apex Court had allowed a plea filed by MLA Abbas Ansari, currently in jail, seeking permission to attend a 'fatiha' or special prayers scheduled for April 10 following the demise of his father, Mukhtar Ansari, the gangster-turned-politician. Mukhtar Ansari passed away due to cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on March 28. Abbas Ansari, who is in judicial custody in connection with a criminal case, had approached the Apex Court seeking permission to participate in his father's 'fatiha'.
Cause Title: Abbas Ansari v. State of Uttar Pradesh [SLP(Crl) No. 1091/2025; Diary No. 1426/2025]