A Special MP-MLA Magistrate Court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced prominent Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam to seven years of imprisonment. The conviction relates to a case involving allegations of possessing and using dual PAN Cards, a complaint originally filed by BJP leader Akash Saxena in December 2019. The prosecution contended that the father and son had acquired two separate PAN Cards, each with different dates of birth, through the submission of forged documents. These allegedly illicitly obtained cards were then reportedly used for banking transactions and income tax-related matters.
This sentencing adds another layer to the extensive legal scrutiny Azam Khan faces, with over 100 cases registered against him. He had only recently been released on bail in September of this year, following an approximately 23-month stint in jail. In a separate development, he was also acquitted in a case concerning the alleged misuse of his official government letterhead and seal to make disparaging remarks about the BJP and its parent organization, the RSS. The court dismissed this case, citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
Since regaining his freedom, Azam Khan has been actively seeking to reassert his presence in Uttar Pradesh politics. He recently held a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, emphasizing their close personal ties. Khan has also been a vocal critic of the ruling BJP government in the state, lamenting what he perceives as a complete collapse of law and order, stating that the state has lost its ‘law’ and is merely operating under ‘order’.