Malegaon blast accused allowed to contest UP elections, Hindu Mahasabha to field him from 2 seats
The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has decided to field retired major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in 2008-terror case in the forthcoming assembly elections from two seats in Uttar Pradesh- Bairia in Ballia and Meerut Sadar.
Malegaon blast accused Ramesh Upadhyay. (Photo: PTI)
Mumbai,UPDATED: Jan 19, 2017 16:00 IST
The MCOCA court in Mumbai has allowed 2008-Malegaon blast accused Ramesh Upadhyay to contest in UP assembly elections.
Upadhyay had moved the election application last week and both the jail authorities and NIA said that they had no objection to him contesting elections.
TERROR ACCUSED, HINDU MAHASABHA CANDIDATE: THINGS TO KNOW
- Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has decided to field retired major Ramesh Upadhyay in the forthcoming assembly elections from two seats in Uttar Pradesh- Bairia in Ballia and Meerut Sadar.
- Upadhyay himself is a native of Dalan Chapra village in the Bairia constituency of Ballia district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. His brothers and relatives still live there.
- The Hindu Mahasabha wants to field him from two seats, but Upadhyay wants to contest elections from Bairia.
- Upadhyay has some understanding of the composition of the constituency and its problems even though he lived there about 14 - 15 years ago.
- The Hindu Mahasabha has been in touch with Upadhyay's son Vishal- who is studying law in Pune and all set to campaign for his father in Bairia.
- Meanwhile, Upadhyay has also applied for a provisional bail so that he can go and canvass for his seat.
- Upadhyay in his application has said that he wants to be given bail between February 4 and March 4 as he will have to travel across his constituency and meet his voters.
- The NIA is, however, yet to respond to his bail plea.
- In the supplementary chargesheet that the NIA filed last year, the agency said that stringent law MCOCA was not applicable against Upadhyay.
- Later in October, Upadhyay challenged the applicability of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case saying that the procedure of sanction of UAPA was not followed in the case.
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