Today, the Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing on a plea by the wife of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari's aide Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva, who was shot dead on Lucknow court premises, seeking anticipatory bail in a criminal case.

A division bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal noted that the funeral of Jeeva has already taken place and there is no urgency in the matter.

"The petition was mentioned yesterday on grounds that the funeral of the husband of the petitioner, Payal Maheshwari, was to take place. For that purpose, the petitioner sought protection from any coercive action in attending the funeral," the bench said.

"We are apprised by the UP Additional Advocate General that the funeral has already taken place and the petitioner did not attend it and the last rites were performed by her son. The AAG has submitted that police had ensured that no coercive steps would have been taken against the petitioner if she had attended the funeral. Therefore, we see no urgency to list the matter in the vacations," it said.

Payal Maheshwari's lawyer had told the bench that Jeeva was shot dead on Wednesday and sought protection from arrest to attend the last rites.9

UP Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad had assured the court that the state would not take any action against Payal Maheshwari, who hionad sought interim protection from arrest in a Gangsters Act case and also bail to attend the last rites of her husband.

Jeeva (48), who was serving a life term in a Lucknow jail, was shot dead when he was brought to the Lucknow court for hearing in a case.