LUCKNOW: Former Samajwadi Party MLA from Sisamau in Kanpur, Irfan Solanki, was granted bail on Thursday in a case filed against him under the Gangster Act. His brother Rizwan Solanki and associate Israel Aatewala also secured bail.
The decision, delivered by Justice Sameer Jain of the Allahabad High Court, had been reserved on September 2. It clears the way for Solanki’s release from Maharajganj Jail, where he and his associates had been lodged for 24 months. During the hearing, the state government, represented by Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal, opposed the bail, arguing that Irfan was the main accused and not entitled to relief. Defence counsel Imran Ullah countered that other co-accused had already been granted bail and that the same principle should apply. The court accepted the argument and extended bail to all three accused.
Irfan Solanki was booked under the Gangster Act on December 26, 2022, after being accused of setting a temporary house belonging to his neighbour, Najir Fatima, on fire in an attempt to force her family to vacate the property, so the legislator’s family could occupy it.
In June 2024, the MP-MLA court in Kanpur sentenced Irfan, his brother Rizwan, and three others to seven years in prison in the Jajmau arson case, along with with a fine of Rs 30,500. Following the gangster proceedings, properties worth over Rs 30 crore linked to Solanki and his aides were seized, while the Enforcement Directorate raided five of his locations, uncovering a long list of assets.
While lodged in Kanpur Jail, Solanki was visited by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, after which he was shifted to Maharajganj Jail.
Solanki’s political career began in 2007 when he won the Arya Nagar assembly seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket. He later shifted to Sisamau, retaining the seat in 2012, 2017, and 2022, even surviving the BJP’s 2017 wave. His wife, Naseem Solanki, now represents Sisamau in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.