The Allahabad High Court on Friday granted relief to former Uttar Pradesh minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his family in connection to a fake birth certificate case. Hearing the matter, the court stayed Khan's seven-year sentence. However, the sentences of his wife, Tanjin Fatima, and his son, Abdullah Azam, were not stayed, although they have been granted bail.
Speaking to the media, Khan's advocate Sharad Sharma said that all three have been granted bail. "Azam Khan's conviction has been stayed and Tazeen Fatima and Abdullah Azam's convictions have been rejected," he added.
What was the case?
The case dates back to January 3, 2019, when Akash Saxena, who is now the BJP MLA from Rampur, got a police case registered alleging that former SP MP Azam Khan and his wife Tanzeen Fatima got two birth certificates made for their son Abdullah Azam Khan. The sessions court awarded the seven-year imprisonment to the three in the alleged forgery case on October 18, 2023.
According to the charge sheet, in the certificate issued by the Rampur municipality, Abdullah Azam's date of birth was mentioned as January 1, 1993. The other certificate showed he was born in Lucknow on September 30, 1990. The trio was found guilty under sections 420 (cheating), 467(forgery valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 472 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc. with intent to commit forgery) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
Azam Khan was disqualified from UP assembly
It should be mentioned here that Azam Khan was disqualified from the legislative assembly last year after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a 2019 hate speech case. The veteran politician won the Rampur Sadar assembly seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls for a record 10th time. He then gave up the Rampur parliamentary seat, which he won in 2019. Azam Khan is a 10-term MLA and was also elected to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
(With PTI inputs)
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