Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi gets 1 year in jail for poll code violation, granted bail

Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was on Wednesday convicted by a Rampur sessions court for breaching prohibitory orders during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

Judicial magistrate Manish Kumar held Naqvi guilty under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of IPC, 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act and Section 144 of CrPC. Eighteen others were also convicted. Naqvi was later granted bail.

Television news reports also said that Naqvi has been sentenced to one year jail and fined Rs 4,000 by the court. Naqvi, in a statement issued, said, “My legal team is looking into the case.”

BJP supporters were chanting slogans outside the Rampur court in support of Naqvi, reported The Times of India .

The case relates to a demonstration by BJP workers led by Naqvi at Patwai area of Rampur parliamentary constituency at the time of campaigning for the 2009 Lok Sabha polls during which they allegedly breached the prohibitory orders in force and barged into a police station.

Naqvi and others were charged under various sections of the IPC and Criminal Law Amendment Act including those related to unlawful assembly.

Among the political reactions to this development, Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Bhatia told Times Now, “I can only say that a competent court has given its judgement. It must have taken into account all the evidence. We should wait to read the judgement in totality.”

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Every accused is entitled to the right to appeal. It is upto him (Naqvi) to exercise that right.”

(With inputs from PTI)