Aman Mani Tripathi acquitted in kidnapping case

Lucknow, Oct 1 The special judge MP /MLA court (Lucknow) has acquitted independent MLA Aman Mani Tripathi and two others Sandeep Tripathi and Ravi Shukla in a case related to kidnapping of a businessman, Rishi Kumar Pandey on August 6, 2014.

Aman Mani is an independent MLA from the Nautanwa Assembly constituency in Maharajganj district of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

His father Amar Mani Tripathi and mother, Madhu Mani Tripathi, are serving a life sentence in the Gorakhpur jail for the murder of a poetess Madhumita Shukla in 2003.

Aman Mani and the others were present in court when additional district judge Pawan Kumar Rai, who is special judge MP/MLA court, pronounced the order.

"The MP/MLA court has discharged Aman Mani Tripathi and two others from all charges in the Rishi Kumar Pandey kidnapping case. The court did not find allegations levelled against them true," said lawyer Manish Tripathi, who represented Aman Mani and others in court.

Rishi Kumar Pandey, a resident of Gorakhpur district, had lodged an FIR at the Cantonment police station in Lucknow on August 6, 2014, accusing Aman Mani, Sandeep Tripathi and Ravi Shukla of kidnapping him at gunpoint from the state capital.

In the FIR, Pandey had accused the three of taking him hostage when he was on way to New Delhi by a car along with his ailing wife, daughter-in-law and two sons for the treatment of his wife.

According to the FIR, the incident took place in front of the Housing Board office in the state capital when Aman Mani and two others forcibly stopped Pandey's car and dragged him to their vehicle and sped away.

Kidnappers had demanded Rs one lakh ransom and later dumped Pandey in front of the VVIP Guest House in the state capital a few hours later.

The defence argued before the court that all allegations levelled against Aman Mani were politically motivated.