The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing on a plea of jailed former Samajwadi Party MP and gangster Atiq Ahmed seeking protection, claiming he and his family have been falsely “roped in” as accused in the Umesh Pal murder case in Prayagraj.

A bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi deferred the matter after Atiq’s counsel sought time to file some additional documents containing statements.

“The matter was listed after urgent mentioning by the counsel for the applicant before the Chief Justice. Today, when the matter has come on board, the counsel has expressed inability to argue. List after one week,” the bench said.

In his plea, Ahmed, who is currently lodged at the Ahmedabad central jail in Gujarat, has referred to the statement made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the floor of the assembly to “completely ruin and destroy” him and claimed there is a “genuine and perceptible threat” to his and his family members’ lives.

He said the Uttar Pradesh Police in all likelihood will seek his transit remand and also police remand to take him from Ahmedabad to Prayagraj and he “genuinely apprehends that he may be eliminated during this transit period”.

Ahmed has also sought directions to ensure that no physical or bodily injury or harm is done to him in any manner during police custody or interrogation.

He further sought a direction restraining Uttar Pradesh government and others from taking him from the Ahmedabad jail to Prayagraj or any other part of Uttar Pradesh.

Umesh Pal, who was the prime witness in BSP MLA Raju Pal’s murder, and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead last Friday outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj.

Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 murder case in Prayagraj in which Ahmed and others are prime accused.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)