A local court in Varanasi sentenced gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to life imprisonment in the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case today.
Special Judge (MP-MLA) Avanish Gautam had earlier in the day pronounced the jailed mafia don in the case.
In the initial session at around 12 noon, the court held Mukhtar guilty in the murder case of Rai, however, it had fixed the time of 2 pm for deciding the quantum of punishment.
Four other people have been also accused in this case.
Mukhtar Ansari was behind bars for the murder of Awadhesh Rai who was sprayed with bullets on August 3, 1991 when he was standing at the gate of his house in Lahurabir area.
The FIR was lodged against Ansari by brother of Awadhesh Rai. Ajay Rai had also named Bheem Singh, former MLA late Abdul Kalam, Rakesh Nyayik and two others in the FIR.
A 10-year imprisonment was awarded to Mukhtar in the 1996 Gangster Act case by Ghazipur Court.
The base for booking Mukhtar and Bheem Singh under Gangster Act in 1996 included Rajendra Singh murder case with the Cantt police in Varanasi, Vashishth Tiwari alias Mala Guru murder case with Kotwali Ghazipur in 1988, constable Raghuvansh Singh murder case in Mughalsarai of Chandauli in 1991 and murderous attack on additional superintendent of police and other policemen in Kotwali Ghazipur in 1996, the Awadhesh Rai murder case in Chetganj of Varanasi.