PRAYAGRAJ, June 10 -- The Allahabad high court has granted bail to Abid, a convicted accused in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, suspending his sentence pending the disposal of his criminal appeal.

A division bench comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinay Kumar Dwivedi observed that the criminal appeal, pending since 2024, was unlikely to be heard in the near future. The court, therefore, held that the convict could be released on bail until a final decision is taken on the appeal.

The counsel for Abid argued that his name did not figure in the original FIR and that action against him was initiated solely on the basis of statements made by co-accused.

The court observed in its May 29 order, "When the testimony of the witnes...