NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh authorities to provide medical and magisterial inquiry reports on the death of jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari on March 28, 2024.
A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Umar Ansari.
Umar said the medical and the judicial inquiry reports pertaining to his father's death were not furnished by the state government.
Ansari, 63, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar, allegedly died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on March 28, 2024. He was in jail since 2005, with over 60 criminal cases pending against him, and was convicted in the murder case of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
Prior to his death, the son moved the top court in December, 2023, seeking a direction to transfer his father to any prison outside Uttar Pradesh fearing for his life.
In 2023, the state government assured the bench it would strengthen Ansari's security inside the Banda jail, if required so that no harm was done to him.
On Thursday, additional solicitor general K M Nataraj, appearing for UP government, said the documents would be supplied to Umar.
The bench observed a post-mortem was conducted on Ansari and a magisterial inquiry was also held later.
It asked the state government to provide the copies of the medical and inquiry reports within two weeks to the son who could file his response within three weeks thereafter.
Umar's plea said after his mother approached the Allahabad High Court for protection, safety and security of Ansari, the court ordered enhancing his security in May, 2024.
When Ansari died, his brother and Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari alleged he was being subjected to "slow poisoning" in jail, a charge denied by the authorities.