BJP MLA murder case hearing on Jan 22

Ghazipur, Jan 20 (UNI) A fast track court here, hearing a petition asking for the transfer of documents related to BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai's murder case to the special CBI court in Lucknow, today fixed January 22 as the next date of hearing.

Fast track court judge (I) Shailendra Nath Singh directed the CBI counsel and petitioner Ramnarain Rai to submit written and oral arguments in this regard on the said date.

The petitioner had demanded the case hearing be suspended here in keeping with the High Court order and all documents be handed over to the special CBI court IN Lucknow.

Meanwhile, ruling Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari and prime accused in the murder case appeared before the court.

Other prime accused -- Afzal's younger brother and independent MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari and his brother-in-law Ezaz-ul-haq Ansari -- did not appear for the hearing.

While, Mukhtar was in Lucknow for the winter session of the state assembly, Ezaz was indisposed.

Presently, the three are lodged in the Ghazipur district jail.

Rai, an MLA from Mohammadabad assembly constituency in Ghazipur district, and his seven supporters were shot dead in broad daylight in Ghazipur on November 29, 2005.

They were ambushed near the Ballia-Ghazipur border by several motorcycle-borne armed assailants.

Later, an FIR was lodged against 10 persons including Mukhtar, Afzal and notorious east UP gangster Munna Bajrangi in connection with the killing. Afzal surrendered in the court on December 8, 2005.

Another sharp-shooter Sanjeev Maheshwari alias Jeeva has also been arrested.

UNI