The Sampadak Express News Desk
The Allahabad High Court has stayed the conviction and sentence of Nandlal Rai alias Babloo Rai in a 2017 murder case, noting his stated intention to contest the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election and granting him bail. The order was passed on October 5 by a two-judge bench while hearing Rai’s criminal appeal against his 2025 conviction by a Varanasi sessions court in a case registered at Sigra police station, according to The Hindu.
The bench of Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi recorded that Rai, described in the order as a political figure and an active Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker before his conviction, wished to run either as an independent candidate or, if possible, on a BJP ticket. “Keeping in view the right to livelihood of a common man which is not less important than the right to contest election by a politician, conviction and sentence of appellant deserves to be stayed so that he may be able to survive for hearing the final verdict in his above noted appeal,” the court said.
In its order, the High Court referred to the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Afjal Ansari vs State of Uttar Pradesh, observing that the apex court had stayed the convictions of a number of public representatives and held that politicians bear a special duty towards their constituents; failure to secure a stay could lead to loss of the opportunity to contest elections.
Rai had sought bail and a stay of his conviction on the grounds that he was not named in the first information report and that his alleged involvement surfaced only around 17 days after the FIR was lodged. During the hearing, his counsel argued that the deceased, Pramod Kumar Nigam—described as an active member of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement—was politically active and that Rai was implicated on mere suspicion and conjecture.
The case relates to the killing of Nigam in 2017. Case materials noted in court proceedings linked Rai with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and alleged that Nigam was murdered following a minor dispute. After considering the submissions and circumstances, the High Court concluded that Rai’s conviction and sentence should remain stayed during the pendency of his appeal.
The stay enables Rai to remain on bail and preserves his ability to participate in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls while his appeal against the 2025 Varanasi court verdict is heard.
