Will recover money spent on keeping Ansari in jail from Amarinder Singh, Sukhjinder Randhawa: CM Bhagwant Mann

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Mann on Sunday said his government will recover the Rs 55 lakh spent on keeping gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Rupnagar jail during the previous Congress government from former chief minister Amarinder Singh and jail minister Sukhjinder Randhawa. If the money is not paid by Singh, who is now a BJP leader, and Randhawa, a Congress MLA, then their pension and other facilities will be cancelled, Mann said. Ansari was in Rupnagar jail from January 2019 to April 2021 in an extortion case registered in Mohali before the Supreme Court directed the Punjab government to give custody of the gangster-turned-politician to Uttar Pradesh Police.

The apex court had also noted that the custody was being denied to the UP Police on trivial grounds under the guise of medical issues. Ansari was later moved to a jail in Banda in Uttar Pradesh. Mann had earlier attacked the previous Congress government in the state, accusing it of providing a «comfortable stay» to Ansari when he was in jail.

In a tweet on Sunday, Mann said, «A (legal) fee of Rs 55 lakh for keeping UP gangster (Mukhtar) Ansari in a Punjab jail and fighting his case in the Supreme Court to fulfil friendship will not be paid from the Punjab treasury.» «This money will be recovered from the then home minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the then jail minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. In case of non-payment, their pension and other government facilities will be cancelled,» he said. In April, Mann said he refused to clear a file with a bill of Rs 55 lakh as fees of the «expensive lawyers» hired by the previous government to defend Ansari in the case.