Former UP MLA & son get jail for model code of conduct violation

Lucknow: An Ambedkarnagar court on Monday sentenced former MLA Pawan Pandey and his son Prateek Pandey, both in BSP, to six months' simple imprisonment and awarded a fine of Rs 2,000 each for violating the model code of conduct during the 2022 assembly elections.
According to the case details, constables Luv Yadav and Manoj Kumar Yadav were patrolling during the elections on Feb 10, 2022, when they found the former legislator leading an unauthorised procession at Patelnagar Tiraha. He was accompanied by his son and around 150 unidentified individuals. The police registered a case for violation of the model code of conduct. An official chargesheet was later submitted to the court.
CJM Sudha Yadav delivered the verdict, sentencing both father and son to simple imprisonment and imposing a monetary fine.
Currently, Pandey is lodged in the district jail in connection with another criminal case. Pandey shot to prominence during the Babri mosque demolition when he aligned with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. He was elected as MLA from Akbarpur in 1991 as a Shiv Sena candidate.
Despite hopes that his political career would mark a shift away from crime, Pandey's involvement in criminal activities escalated post-election. His alleged offences range from extortion and murder to attempted assassinations, with a long list of cases filed against him over the years. The CBI also filed a chargesheet against him in the Babri mosque case.
While Pandey himself contested and lost several elections as an independent and with the LJP after his Shiv Sena tenure, his brother Rakesh Pandey is currently an MLA from the Jalalpur constituency representing the SP. His nephew, Ritesh Pandey, a former BSP MP, is currently in BJP.