Mukhtar Ansari, jailed gangster-turned-politician, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.

The case was filed in 2007 under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act at Mohammadabad police station.

Five-time MLA Ansari, held at Banda district jail, has been convicted for the fourth time.

According to government counsel Neeraj Srivastava, Mukhtar Ansari received a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 5 lakh via video conference in court, reported The Indian Express. Ten witnesses testified for prosecution.

Ansari, who has 61 criminal cases against him, is a known criminal at Mohammadabad police station in Ghazipur. Since 2005, he has been in jail for his involvement in communal riots in Mau that resulted in the deaths of seven individuals.

He had contested elections five times in Mau Sadar seat, twice for BSP and thrice as an independent.

Ansari's elder son, Abbas, contested the previous Assembly election from Mau Sadar seat on a Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) ticket, as Ansari himself did not run. The SBSP was allies with the Samajwadi Party during the election.

Last year, on 21 September, Ansari was sentenced by the Allahabad High Court to seven years in prison for assaulting a jailer in 2003. The next day, he was also sentenced to five years in prison in another case from 1999 under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters Act in Lucknow.

A court in Ghazipur found Ansari guilty under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster Act and sentenced him along with his alleged associate Bheem Singh to 10 years in prison on 15 December last year. The case stems from 1996 when Ghazipur police charged him under the Gangster Act.