Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki, his brother Rizwan Solanki, and three others were on Friday convicted in the Jajmau arson case in Kanpur and sentenced to 7 years’ imprisonment.
With a jail term of 7 years, Irfan Solanki could face disqualification from the UP Assembly. Solanki, a four-time MLA from the Sisamau assembly segment in Kanpur, was found guilty along with his brother and three others in the case.
Special judge Satyendra Nath Tripathi of the MP-MLA Court pronounced the judgment on June 3 last. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,500 on the convicts.
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The other three accused who were awarded the 7-year jail term are Mohammad Sharif, Israel Aatewala, and Shaukat Ali.
The incident dates back to November 7, 2022, when the house of Nazir Fatima, located in Defence Colony of Jajmau, caught fire. Fatima had accused SP MLA Irfan Solanki, his brother Rizwan Solanki, and their associates of setting the house on fire. The court convicted all five accused — Irfan, Rizwan, Mohd Sharif, Shaukat Ali, and Israel Aatewala — on June 3 on charges of arson, causing harm, assault, and threatening to kill.
Irfan attended the court hearing through video conferencing from Maharajganj jail when the punishment was pronounced. The remaining four accused were present in the court in person.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution argued that as a public servant, Irfan Solanki bore more responsibility and should receive maximum punishment and fine.
The lawyers of the plaintiff argued that the victim, being poor and homeless, should receive the maximum amount of fine from the accused. On behalf of the defence side, Irfan Rizwan’s advocates Saeed Naqvi, Shivakant Dixit, and Karim Ahmed Siddiqui argued that Solanki’s position as an MLA and the jeopardy to his legislative powers necessitated a more lenient sentence.
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