LUCKNOW: In a major relief to Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Azam Khan, the Rampur Sessions Court on Friday quashed the seven-year sentence awarded to him in the two-passport case.
Both Abdullah Azam and Azam Khan are currently lodged in Rampur jail, serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted in a case related to the alleged use of two PAN cards belonging to Abdullah with different dates of birth.
The Rampur MP/MLA court had sentenced Abdullah Azam to seven years in prison on December 5, 2025, after he was accused of possessing two passports. A fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on him. Abdullah challenged the verdict in the Sessions Court, where arguments concluded on May 25.
While pronouncing the verdict on Friday, the court accepted Abdullah’s appeal, overturned the lower court’s order and acquitted him in the case.
However, he will not be released from jail as several other cases against him are pending in the Supreme Court.
According to Abdullah Azam’s lawyer Nasir Sultan, the case dates back to July 30, 2019, when BJP MLA Akash Saxena filed a complaint at the Civil Lines police station in Rampur alleging that Abdullah had obtained two passports at different times using two separate date-of-birth certificates, which were later used as identity documents at various places.
In the case, the trial court had sentenced Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan to seven years in prison on December 5, 2025. Challenging that order, Abdullah approached the MP/MLA Sessions Court. The verdict was delivered on Friday, where the court accepted his appeal, overturned the lower court’s decision and acquitted him.
The prosecution side, represented by BJP MLA Akash Saxena, had also filed an appeal seeking enhancement of Abdullah’s sentence, but the court rejected the plea.
Before 2017, Azam Khan was a senior member of Akhilesh Yadav’s Cabinet and held the Urban Development portfolio.
He wanted his son Abdullah Azam to contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from Rampur’s Swar seat. However, Abdullah was allegedly underage at the time, and the date of birth mentioned in his educational records became a hurdle.
According to allegations levelled by his rivals in the case filed against him, Azam Khan used his influence to get a fake birth certificate issued from the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.
Based on that certificate, Abdullah allegedly obtained fake PAN cards and later got two passports issued, which he reportedly used.
Abdullah Azam contested and won the 2017 Assembly election from the Swar Assembly seat in Rampur.
Later, BSP candidate Nawab Kazim Ali Khan raised the issue of fake documents and alleged that Abdullah was below 25 years of age while filing nomination papers.
During the investigation, it allegedly emerged that Abdullah had contested the election using a fake age certificate and was not eligible to contest.
Following the findings, Abdullah’s election was cancelled and his Assembly membership was terminated.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Akash Saxena also filed a case in Rampur in connection with the matter. Abdullah Azam, his father Azam Khan and mother Dr Tanzeen Fatima were sent to jail in connection with the same case.
Despite the controversy, Abdullah again won the Swar Assembly seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Later, in another case related to obstructing government work, Abdullah was sentenced to more than three years in jail. Following the conviction, his Assembly membership was cancelled once again.