Huge quantities of arms, ammunition recovered from house: Allahabad High Court denies bail to MLA Abbas Ansari

The Allahabad High Court recently refused to grant bail to Uttar Pradesh Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Abbas Ansari in an arms license case. [Abbas Ansari v. State Of Uttar Pradesh].Justice Subhash Vidyarthi noted that huge quantities of arms and ammunition were recovered from Ansari's house in New Delhi.The Court also noted that as Ansari was an MLA, there are chances that he might influence witnesses."Having considered the nature of allegations against the applicant and the material relied upon by the prosecution, the status of the applicant as an expert shooter and a Member of Legislative Assembly, the possibility of the applicant being able to influence the witnesses in case of his release on bail, I am of the considered view that the aforesaid facts disentitle the applicant to receive discretion of this Court by enlarging him on bail.".A first information report (FIR) was lodged against Ansari in October 2019, alleging that he had acquired multiple firearms on a specific licence. Presenting himself as an expert shooter, he reportedly transferred the license from Lucknow to Delhi without informing the relevant police station. He continued using licences from two different states under distinct identity cards.The FIR alleged that after his gun license from Lucknow became invalid in October 2015, he obtained a new license in New Delhi in June 2017 based on the same and purchased a total of 7 firearms..Before the High Court, counsel for Ansari argued that if any offence occurred, it was in New Delhi, and thus the Uttar Pradesh Police had no jurisdiction to register an FIR in Lucknow..After listing out the arms and ammunition found in Ansari's possession, and the fact that some of the bullets were metal jacketed, and thus not permitted to be used by a shooter, the Court said,"The aforesaid illegal conduct is not at all expected of any person, much less from a person who claims himself to be a renowned shooter. Moreover, as the applicant is a Member of Legislative Assembly of U.P., he is expected to pay some higher respect to the laws of the land as compared to any other person.".Considering the accusations against Ansari, the Court expressed strong disapproval of the alleged conduct, deeming it entirely unacceptable.It also noted that Ansari has a criminal history and has been involved in 8 cases. In one such case, it was alleged that while he was lodged in jail, he used his influence to let his wife to frequently visit the jail without seeking any permission from the authorities and without any checking..Given the nature of the allegations, the evidence presented by the prosecution, Ansari's status as an expert shooter and an MLA, and the potential of tampering with evidence, the Court denied him bail..Advocates Pranjal Krishna, Arun Sinha and Siddhartha Sinha represented Ansari..[Read Order]