Ensure murder convict can keep Quran, offer prayers 5 times a day during Ramadan, Allahabad HC directs Etawah jail head

The government counsel submitted in court that the petitioner’s grievance would be examined by the jail authorities in accordance with law.

“In the facts of the case, we dispose of this petition with a direction upon the Jail Superintendent of Central Jail, Etawah to ensure that the religious practices followed by the petitioner’s husband of offering prayers at five times in the month of Ramadan is not interfered with and he is also allowed to retain Quran with him. We may clarify that the routine security measures which are being followed for protection of inmates inside the jail, however, shall continue to exist,” the court said.

Ahmed was among those convicted last year in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal and two others, Abid’s lawyer Deepak Kumar said.

On January 25, 2005, Raju Pal was on his way home when he was attacked by armed assailants in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj. While Raju Pal and his associates Devilal Pal and Sandeep Yadav died, Ruksana, Saif alias Saifulla, and Om Prakash Pal were injured in the attack. Among those booked in the murder case were former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf — both died before the judgment in the case was pronounced.

The murder was a fallout of political rivalry between Atiq and Raju Pal and the case was investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Last year, a CBI court in Lucknow convicted six people, including Ahmed, in the case.