Varanasi Court sentences Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in murder of ex-Congress leader's brother

A Varanasi Court on June 5 sentenced former Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment for the murder of Awadhesh Rai who was the brother of a Congress leader, reported PTI. .Special Judge Avanish Gautam of the MP-MLA court awarded life sentence to Ansari today for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, the brother of ex-MLA Ajay Rai who was shot dead in August 1991 in Varanasi..As per reports, Ajay Rai and his brother were standing at the gate of their house in Varanasi at 1 am when assailants, including Ansari, arrived at the scene in a car and shot Awadhesh.He was then rushed to a hospital in Kabirchaura, where doctors declared him dead..Mukhtar is currently in Banda jail.On May 3, weeks after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead, the Allahabad High Court had directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to ensure 'full security' to Ansari..In April this year, a Ghazipur Court had convicted Ansari in a kidnapping and murder case. The special MP/MLA court sentenced the ex-lawmaker to 10 years imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh.The trial in the case under the the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act had concluded on April 1.Ansari was booked for his involvement in the kidnapping of Vishwa Hindu Parishad office-bearer and coal tycoon Nandkishore Rungta in 1996 and the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005..In September last year, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment for intimidating a jailer by abusing, pointing a pistol at him and threatening to kill him in 2003.The Court noted that Ansari intimidated the complainant jailer, who was performing a public duty, by abusing him, pointing a revolver/pistol towards him and threatening to kill him..Shortly after that, he was also sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment and a ₹50,000 fine under the Gangsters Act in relation to a a First Information Report (FIR) which was lodged against Ansari in 1999 stating that he had a gang which committed heinous offences including murder, extortion, kidnapping and abduction.