Ahmedabad/Hyderabad, Sep 20 (IANS): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday was denied permission to meet former MP Atiq Ahmad in Sabarmati Central Prison, Ahmedabad.

The Hyderabad MP along with some party leaders reached Ahmedabad on Monday morning but Gujarat prison authorities denied him permission to meet Ahmad, who recently joined All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

AIMIM sources said in Hyderabad that Owaisi was scheduled to reach Sabarmati Central Prison to meet Atiq Ahmad at 11 a.m.

The permission for meeting was denied in the last minute by SP Central Prison citing Covid-19 pandemic, they said.

Owaisi was accompanied by Aurangabad MP Imtiyaz Jaleel, Gujarat state unit chief Sabir Kabliwala and former mayor of Greater Hyderabad and AIMIM incharge for Uttar Pradesh Majid Hussain.

Atiq Ahmad's wife Shaista Parveen joined AIMIM early this month in Lucknow in the presence of Owaisi. The former Samajwadi Party leader also joined AIMIM in absentia.

Owaisi inducted Atiq Ahmad and his wife claiming that the SP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) used Muslims as slaves in their parties.

Defending his decision to induct Ahmad, who has several criminal cases lodged against him, Owaisi also asserted that even several BJP leaders are facing several cases.

A five-time legislator and one-time MP Atiq Ahmad has more than 90 criminal cases, including those of murders, abductions, illegal mining, extortion, intimidation and fraud, against him.

He was shifted to Gujarat from Uttar Pradesh on the Supreme Court's directions in 2019.