LUCKNOW: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan will remain disqualified from the UP Assembly as his plea challenging his conviction in a hate speech case of 2019 was dismissed by the Rampur sessions court on Thursday. This paves the way for a by-election to the Rampur Sadar) seat due Dec 5
The SP leader was disqualified from the Assembly on October 28, as the Assembly secretariat had announced his seat vacant following his conviction and a jail term of three years by an MP/MLA court in a case of hate speech. The court order came on Oct 27.
Following the Rampur Sadar seat being declared vacant, the Election Commission had scheduled the by-poll along with Mainpuri Lok Sabha and Khatauli Assembly seats on December 5. The results will be announced on Dec 8.
The Rampur sessions court order is in compliance with a Supreme Court directive to decide Khan’s plea against his conviction on Thursday itself after concluding the hearing. Initially, taking up his plea against his conviction, the sessions court had granted interim bail to Azam Khan and had posted the matter for hearing on November 16.