NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday upheld Allahabad HC’s order which annulled Samajwadi Party Leader Azam Khan’s son Mohd Abdullah Azam Khan’s 2017 election from Suar constituency on grounds that he was underage and not qualified to contest the poll in 2017.
A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi BV Nagarathna while confirming HC’s order said and setting aside the election said, “The High Court, in our considered view, has examined the documentary and the oral evidence available on record in extenso, we find that no manifest error was committed by the High Court in passing the impugned judgment, which may call for our interference.”
Justice BV Nagarathna in her separate judgement said, ”I find that the acceptance of the nomination of the appellantsuccessful candidate was improper. The findings of the High Court in this regard do not require any interference.”
Abdullah’s election was cancelled on the ground that he was less than the required 25 years of age at the time of filing his nomination. Against the father and the son the allegations were that as per the son’s educational certificates, Abdullah was born on January 1, 1993 whereas according to his birth certificate his date of birth was September 30, 1991.
For allegedly forging his son’s birth certificate SP leader, his wife Tazeen Fatima and son Mr. Abdullah Azam Khan had been in jail in a criminal case registered against them over two allegedly fake birth certificates issued to his son through fraudulent means from two different places.
CJI farewell
My journey began and ends in SC: Lalit
Outgoing Chief Justice of India Uday Umesh Lalit on Monday recalled his journey of nearly 37 years in the SC. CJI Lalit was speaking as he sat on the ceremonial bench in the SC for the last time with his designated successor Justice D Y Chandrachud. “My journey began from this court and today it ends in the same court,” he said.