Atiq Ahmad, 2 others get life sentence in 2006 Umesh Pal kidnap case

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday in the 2006 kidnapping case of lawyer Umesh Pal. Ahmad and two others including Dinesh Pasi and Khan Saulat Haneef were given rigorous life imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation to Umesh Pal's family of ₹100,000. A fine of ₹5,000 was also imposed on each of the three.

An MP/MLA court in Prayagraj has held gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and three others guilty of kidnapping lawyer Umesh Pal, the main witness to the killing of legislator Raju Pal by the Bahujan Samaj. Umesh Pal was shot dead in Prayagraj on 24 February.

Atiq and former corporator Dinesh Pasi were convicted under Section 364 A (Kidnapping of a person and person liable to murder) of the IPC, among others.

Atiq Ahmad was brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat by a 45-member Uttar Pradesh police team yesterday. He was taken to Naini Central Jail and kept in a high-security barrack adjacent to the women's jail. Ahmad is also the prime accused in the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal, who was later shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24.

In another development, the Supreme Court also rejected Ahmad's plea for protection during his custody with the UP Police. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi granted the don-turned-politician liberty to approach the Allahabad High Court for protection after he claimed his life was in danger.