Rampur: In a huge blow to Azam Khan, a prominent leader of the Samajwadi Party, the Rampur MP-MLA court on Wednesday awarded seven-year prison terms each to him, his wife Tanzin Fatima and their son Abdullah Azam Khan following their conviction in the fake birth certificate case. The trio was immediately taken into custody after the court delivered the verdict. They are now being sent to jail directly from the court.
“After convicting Azam Khan, his wife Tanzeem Fatima and their son Abdullah Azam Khan, the court has sentenced all three to seven years of imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000,” former DGC (crime) Arun Saxena told news agency ANI.
Reacting to the court’s verdict, Samajwadi Party supremo and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that Azam Khan and his entire family are being targeted to settle political scores and instil a sense of fear in his supporters and the common public.
माननीय आज़म खान जी और उनके परिवार को निशाना बनाकर समाज के एक पूरे हिस्से को डराने का जो खेल खेला जा रहा है, जनता वो देख भी रही है और समझ भी रही है। कुछ स्वार्थी लोग नहीं चाहते हैं कि शिक्षा-तालीम को बढ़ावा देनेवाले लोग समाज में सक्रिय रहें। इस सियासी साज़िश के ख़िलाफ़ इंसाफ़ के…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 18, 2023
Case Background
BJP MLA Akash Saxena initiated the case in 2019, accusing Abdullah Azam of possessing two birth certificates. Azam Khan and Tanzin Fatima were also implicated in the case. The charges were filed under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471.
Abdullah Azam faced accusations of exploiting two birth certificates at his convenience. One certificate was issued by the Lucknow municipality and the other by the Rampur municipality.
Dual Birth Certificates
Abdullah Azam employed his first birth certificate to secure a passport for his overseas trips, whereas the second certificate was utilized for official government matters. The investigation revealed that both certificates were obtained through fraudulent means, orchestrated as part of a pre-planned conspiracy.
Former DGC (crime) Saxena highlighted the specifics, stating, “Abdullah Azam Khan is accused of having two birth certificates. The first birth certificate is dated January 1, 1993, while the second one was issued from Lucknow, showing his birth date as September 30, 1990.”
Legal Troubles For Abdullah Azam Khan
This recent development compounds Abdullah Azam’s legal issues, given his disqualification as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly earlier this year due to a two-year imprisonment sentence in a 15-year-old case. Notably, the Supreme Court declined to grant an interim stay on Abdullah’s conviction in this case last week.
Azam Khan and his son Abdullah were previously convicted in a 2019 hate speech case. Both had represented the Suar Assembly constituency in Rampur district before their disqualification. The police presence was increased in Rampur to ensure law and order following the court’s verdict.
