Umesh Pal murder case: Supreme Court To hear Ateeq Ahmad's plea on March 17

The Supreme Court on Thursday, March 2, said that it would hear Ateeq Ahmad’s plea seeking protection on March 17. It will restrain him from taking him to central jail from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj or any part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. This is because of the fear that he may be killed in a fake encounter.

Advocate KS Hanif talked about Ateeq Ahmad’s plea before a bench which was headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud who agreed to hear the plea on March 17. He has moved to the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre to protect his life, and also to restrain him from going to jail.

Background of the case

Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was gunned down on broad daylight on Feburary 24, 2005 outside his residence in Prayagraj. The accused in this case is imprisoned Samjwadi Party MP Ateeq Ahmad who is also accused of killing BSP MLA Raju Pal and is accused of hatching Umesh Pal's murder conspiracy from inside Gujrat's Sabarmati jail. On Feburary 24, armed men opened fire on Umesh Pal and two policemen outside his residence in Prayagraj. Umesh Pal and one of the policeman, Sandeep Nishad died. 

The petitioner said that he along with his entire family has been roped in as an accused in the murder case of Umesh Pal. He said that the Chief Minister, without any investigation and evidence, just based on suspicion on the floor of the house, said that the petitioner will be punished. Therefore, there is a threat to his and his family members' lives.

The petitioner requested the court to issue appropriate direction to the respondents to protect the life of the petitioner. He has been accused in the FIR, of an open, direct and immediate threat to his life from high state functionaries of the state of UP. The petitioner sought to issue appropriate directions restraining the authority from taking the petitioner from the central jail, Ahmedabad, Gujarat under the protection of the Gujarat police as well as Central forces.

The petitioner told that he has no motive to kill Umesh Pal, who was a complainant in a separate case against him, that is going to end next month and there was nothing left for him to be done. The petitioner sought to direct the Government of India that no physical or bodily injury is caused to the accused or the family of the accused. Ateeq Ahmad is currently serving sentence for killing Umesh Pal.