UP Bar Council Cancels Membership of Slain Mafia Atiq Ahmed's Lawyer, Khan Shaulat Hanif

The decision taken by a two-member committee on June 22 mentioned that the registration of advocate Khan Saulat Hanif, who is serving life imprisonment in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case, has been cancelled.

Prayagraj:The license of lawyer Khan Saulat Hanif, who is serving life imprisonment in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case, has finally been cancelled. The Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh called off the registration of advocate Khan Saulat, who was convicted in the case by the district court, for life.

The decision was taken by a two-member committee that was formed by the Bar Council to look into the case. Khan Saulat Hanif was the confidant lawyer of the slain mafia, Atiq Ahmed. After the murder, Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal wrote a letter to the President and Secretary of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh demanding cancellation of Khan Saulat's advocate registration.

In a letter sent to the Bar Council, Jaya Pal said that Khan Saulat has been an active member of mafia Atiq's gang IS-227. He has been working for Atiq's gang for several years by getting involved in heinous crimes under the guise of legal practice. The issue of cancellation of license was discussed throughout Friday among the advocates of the High Court.

Bar Council member Devendra Mishra Nagarha said that the council had constituted a committee to hear Jaya Pal's complaint. "The committee investigated the case and after hearing all concerned parties, found Shaulat guilty of professional misconduct. We unanimously decided to cancel Shaulat's membership," he added.

Umesh Pal, a witness in the MLA Raju Pal murder case, had filed a case against Ahmed and his other associates as well as Hanif for kidnapping, threatening and beating to change testimony. In the trial, it was proved that Hanif had drafted the statement of Umesh Pal to change his testimony and provide a different statement.

Umesh Pal was first kidnapped and tortured for pleading Raju Pal's case and then killed with bombs and bullets last year.