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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Sunday said the state government would not pay the lawyer whose services were hired to retain gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in a Punjab jail. He added that the money will be recovered from former chief minister Amarinder Singh, who was also the home minister, and former jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
In a tweet, Mann said the money that was spent to “live up to the friendship” would be recovered from the duo and if they failed to pay up then their pensions and other government benefits would be seized. An amount of Rs 55 lakh is to be paid to senior lawyer Dushyant Dave for opposing the UP government’s plea in the Supreme Court seeking custody of Ansari during Amarinder Singh’s regime.
Ansari was in Ropar jail from January 2019 to April 2021 during the tenure of the previous Congress government. A recent inquiry report indicted some jail officials for extending ‘VIP facilities’ to Ansari in jail. The report, however, did not indict any political leader. Mann had indicated in April this year that the money would be recovered from the ministers concerned who were responsible for Ansari’s stay in the Ropar jail. He had returned the file seeking his clearance to pay Dave’s fee.
Dave represented the Punjab government in the Supreme Court in 2021 when the Uttar Pradesh government sought Ansari’s transfer from Punjab to UP. Punjab had opposed the transfer.
After taking over the reins of the state, the AAP government ordered an inquiry into the case. Former jails minister Harjot Bains raised the issue in Vidhan Sabha.
ADGP R N Dhoke had recently submitted the inquiry report, which recommended proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act against some jail officials for allegedly taking bribes from Ansari in lieu of providing the facilities.
It was alleged earlier that Ansari had connections with some state and national Congress leaders. He was brought to Punjab in January 2019, on a transit remand from UP. An FIR was lodged against him for seeking a ransom of Rs 10 crore from a builder in Sector 70 of Mohali. However, the challan pertaining to this FIR was never presented in the court. It became an issue when the UP government filed a petition in the apex court stating that Punjab was “shamelessly” keeping Ansari.
The UP government sent 25 reminders to Punjab before getting Ansari’s custody through the apex court.
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