An assailant, who had donned a lawyer's robes, shot and killed dreaded criminal Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva who had come to the SC/ST court for a hearing inside the court room on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Booked in several other criminal cases and was lodged in Lucknow jail, Jeeva, a dreaded shooter of the Mukhtar Ansari gang, received multiple injuries and then succumbed.
The accused assailant, identified as Vijay Yadav of Kerakat in Jaunpur district, was overpowered and handed over to the police. However, he was beaten up so badly by other lawyers that his condition is said to be critical.
A minor girl who was present in the court, has also received a gunshot injury on her back. A police constable was also injured in the attack and has been sent to Lucknow Civil Hospital for treatment.
Initial reports suggest that the shooter arrived in the court dressed as lawyers, and opened fire at Jeeva.
Jeeva was a co-accused in BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai murder, in which Mukhtar Ansari is also an accused. He was also an accused in the murder of BJP MLA Brahma Dutt Dwiwedi.
Jeeva's wife Payal Maheshwari has recently said that she feared her husband would be killed in custody.
Jeeva started his 'career' as a compounder in Muzaffarnagar and then became a member of the underworld after joining the Mukhtar Ansari gang.
He was a close associate of Munna Bajrangi who was shot dead in 2018 in Baghpat jail.
Meanwhile, after the shootout, police faced the ire of lawyers who pelted stones at them.
Additional forces have been rushed to the spot.