PRAYAGRAJ: The chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Prayagraj on Thursday granted 14 days judicial custody remand to slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Khan Saulat Hanif in Umesh Pal murder case.
CJM Dinesh Kumar Gautam fixed May 10 for the next hearing of the matter.
Khan Saulat, who is presently lodged at Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj in connection with Umesh Pal abduction case, was produced before the court of CJM here to obtain his judicial custody in connection with Umesh Pal murder case also. Now since he has also been accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, the CJM on Thursday remanded him to 14 judicial custody in connection with this murder case also and sent him to jail for a period of 14 days.
Khan Saulat was awarded life term along with Atiq Ahmed and another in the Umesh Pal abduction case on March 28, 2023, by the MP-MLA court at Prayagraj and has been lodged in Naini Central Jail since then.
According to district government counsel (criminal) Gulab Chandra Agrahri, the police department is likely to move an application seeking police custody of Khan Saulat for interrogation, as the first step to take him in judicial custody in the Umesh Pal murder case is complete now.
The CJM passed the above orders on an application moved by the investigation officer (IO) of Umesh Pal murder case, stating therein that some incriminating evidences have been collected during investigation, which shows Khan Saulat was involved in the conspiracy to kill Umesh Pal, therefore, he has been made accused in Umesh Pal murder case.
“Hence, in this backdrop, he should be remanded to judicial custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case,” the IO added in his application.
On the other hand, Khan Saulat had also moved an application before the CJM requesting that he should be given opportunity of hearing through his counsel before any order is passed in this connection because, according to him, he is not named in the FIR of Umesh Pal murder case. “By the present application an effort is being made to falsely implicate me in the murder case of Umesh Pal,” added Khan Saulat in his application.
Interestingly, Khan Saulat, who is lawyer of Atiq and appeared on his behalf right from the very beginning — from sessions court to Supreme Court — was himself awarded rigorous life term along with Atiq in Umesh Pal abduction case on March 28, 2023, with the court recording its finding that “Khan Shaulat Hanif’s meeting of mind with Atiq in the case of abduction is proved beyond doubt”.
Atiq, his brother Ashraf, Dinesh Pasi and others were accused in BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case of 2005. Umesh Pal was a witness in this case. It is alleged that Umesh Pal was abducted and was compelled to retract his statement.
On March 28, Khan Shaulat was sent to jail along with his client Atiq after the court found that he went a step ahead and became a part of the crime. Therefore, in this backdrop, he is also liable to be punished by rigorous life term under section 364A (abduction) and section 120B (conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code, as the court found that his complicity in the crime is proved beyond doubt.
Khan Shaulat, who practices at Allahabad district courts, is around 61 years old and has represented Atiq before various courts in a host of cases. He used to engage senior lawyers according to the situations but himself supervised the defence side in all the cases. Hence, one may find him in almost all the cases where Atiq was involved. He was associated with Atiq from the very beginning and saved him from being sentenced for around three decades.
CJM Dinesh Kumar Gautam fixed May 10 for the next hearing of the matter.
Khan Saulat, who is presently lodged at Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj in connection with Umesh Pal abduction case, was produced before the court of CJM here to obtain his judicial custody in connection with Umesh Pal murder case also. Now since he has also been accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, the CJM on Thursday remanded him to 14 judicial custody in connection with this murder case also and sent him to jail for a period of 14 days.
Khan Saulat was awarded life term along with Atiq Ahmed and another in the Umesh Pal abduction case on March 28, 2023, by the MP-MLA court at Prayagraj and has been lodged in Naini Central Jail since then.
According to district government counsel (criminal) Gulab Chandra Agrahri, the police department is likely to move an application seeking police custody of Khan Saulat for interrogation, as the first step to take him in judicial custody in the Umesh Pal murder case is complete now.
The CJM passed the above orders on an application moved by the investigation officer (IO) of Umesh Pal murder case, stating therein that some incriminating evidences have been collected during investigation, which shows Khan Saulat was involved in the conspiracy to kill Umesh Pal, therefore, he has been made accused in Umesh Pal murder case.
“Hence, in this backdrop, he should be remanded to judicial custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case,” the IO added in his application.
On the other hand, Khan Saulat had also moved an application before the CJM requesting that he should be given opportunity of hearing through his counsel before any order is passed in this connection because, according to him, he is not named in the FIR of Umesh Pal murder case. “By the present application an effort is being made to falsely implicate me in the murder case of Umesh Pal,” added Khan Saulat in his application.
Interestingly, Khan Saulat, who is lawyer of Atiq and appeared on his behalf right from the very beginning — from sessions court to Supreme Court — was himself awarded rigorous life term along with Atiq in Umesh Pal abduction case on March 28, 2023, with the court recording its finding that “Khan Shaulat Hanif’s meeting of mind with Atiq in the case of abduction is proved beyond doubt”.
Atiq, his brother Ashraf, Dinesh Pasi and others were accused in BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case of 2005. Umesh Pal was a witness in this case. It is alleged that Umesh Pal was abducted and was compelled to retract his statement.
On March 28, Khan Shaulat was sent to jail along with his client Atiq after the court found that he went a step ahead and became a part of the crime. Therefore, in this backdrop, he is also liable to be punished by rigorous life term under section 364A (abduction) and section 120B (conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code, as the court found that his complicity in the crime is proved beyond doubt.
Khan Shaulat, who practices at Allahabad district courts, is around 61 years old and has represented Atiq before various courts in a host of cases. He used to engage senior lawyers according to the situations but himself supervised the defence side in all the cases. Hence, one may find him in almost all the cases where Atiq was involved. He was associated with Atiq from the very beginning and saved him from being sentenced for around three decades.