Former MP Dhananjay Singh was on Tuesday pronounced guilty in the Abhinav Singhal kidnapping case.

The hearing on the quantum of punishment will be held on Wednesday.

Additional Sessions Judge Sharad Tripathi convicted former MP Dhananjay Singh and Santosh Vikram for kidnapping Abhinav Singhal on May 10, 2020 in the Jaunpur Line Bazaar Police Station area.

Both the convicted persons have been taken into custody. They will be produced before the court on Wednesday, where the quantum of punishment will be pronounced.

Recently, Dhananjay Singh announced his intention to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Jaunpur seat. Dhananjay represented the Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat from 2009 to 2014 as a BSP member and was also an Independent MLA from the Rari seat in Jaunpur from 2002 to 2007.

Over a dozen criminal cases are pending against Dhananjay Singh in UP.

Muzaffarnagar resident Abhinav Singhal had filed a case against Dhananjay Singh and his partner Santosh Vikram under kidnapping, extortion and other sections at the Line Bazaar Police Station on May 10, 2020.

It was alleged that Santosh Vikram, along with his two associates, kidnapped the plaintiff and took him to the residence of the former MP. Dhananjay Singh came there with a pistol and abused the plaintiff. He also pressured him to supply low-quality material. Upon refusal, he threatened and demanded extortion.

During the trial, the former MP was arrested in this case but later the Allahabad High Court granted him bail.

On the previous date of hearing, Dhananjay Singh and Santosh Vikram had filed a discharge application. They alleged that the case was registered by putting pressure on the plaintiff and that the case diary was filed in the court under pressure from higher officials. The plaintiff did not corroborate the allegation in his statement to the police and under Section 164 statement. The government advocate objected in writing, stating that the case was registered on the written complaint of the plaintiff.

On the basis of CCTV footage, CDR, WhatsApp messages, statements of witnesses, the crime against the accused was proven. Pressure was put on the plaintiff to withdraw the case. The court rejected the application of the accused after hearing the arguments of both the parties.