On April 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of India disposed of a writ petition filed in 2023 by Umar Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. Umar had sought the transfer of his father to a jail outside Uttar Pradesh due to fear of harm while in custody. The petition was closed by the Court after being informed that Mukhtar Ansari had passed away in March 2024 while in jail, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest.
Mukhtar Ansari was a key accused in several serious criminal cases, including the murder of BJP leader Krishnanand Rai. In 2021, the Supreme Court had allowed the State of Uttar Pradesh to shift Ansari from Punjab jail to a UP jail. Later, in January 2024, the Court directed UP authorities to share medical and inquiry reports related to Ansari’s death with his son.
"The petition cannot be considered irrelevant simply because the person has died,"
argued Advocate Nizam Pasha, representing Umar Ansari, before a bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal. He added that the original petition was filed due to the fear of his father's possible death in custody.
Responding to this, Justice Bindal clarified,
"Mukhtar Ansari died due to a heart attack."
Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, representing the State, informed the Court that the detailed medical report had already been handed over to the petitioner. Advocate Pasha countered that he received the over 500-page report only a day earlier and needed time to review it. He also submitted that an application had been filed seeking an official inquiry into the cause of death.
Justice Sundresh stated that if the petitioner wishes to pursue the matter further, he may approach the High Court. Justice Bindal also pointed out that the Article 32 petition was accepted only because it requested a jail transfer, not a death inquiry.
Umar Ansari’s original petition claimed that his family had been targeted by the State and alleged a conspiracy to kill Mukhtar Ansari inside Banda jail.
"Four co-accused in related cases were already murdered,"
the petition stated. It mentioned:
- Shahnawaz, an undertrial, was shot in December 2019 while being brought to court.
- Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim were killed in April 2023 during a police medical escort.
- Meraj Ahmad, accused along with Ansari under the MCOCA law, was killed in May 2021 inside Chitrakoot Jail.
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The State of UP, however, maintained that there was no threat to Mukhtar Ansari’s life while in custody.
"Post-mortem by a medical panel confirmed that the cause of death was cardiac arrest," the State said in its official response.
Mukhtar Ansari passed away on March 28, 2024, while serving a life sentence. Despite the family’s allegations of poisoning and medical neglect, the Supreme Court, for now, has declined to pursue the matter further under the current petition.
Quote:
"If further investigation is needed, the petitioner may approach the High Court," the Court advised.
The case titled UMAR ANSARI Vs THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ORS., W.P.(Crl.) No. 629/2023, now stands disposed of in the Supreme Court.
