LUCKNOW: In a major jolt to senior Samajwadi Party leader and MLA from Rampur, Mohammad Azam Khan, the Rampur MP/MLA court, on Thursday, awarded him a jail term of three years while slapping him with a penalty of Rs 25,000 in a case of hate speech dating back to 2019 general elections.
However, the court also granted conditional bail to the SP stalwart immediately after pronouncing the quantum of punishment giving him a week’s time to file an appeal against the order in the higher court.
Azam Khan, 74, was convicted by the court in the case for using objectionable language against persons holding prominent constitutional positions including PM Narendra Modi, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and the then Rampur DM Anjaneya Kumar Singh at a public rally during the 2019 general elections.
Reacting to his conviction and the jail term, Khan said, "I have not lost faith. Not all doors have closed, I will appeal against the order in a higher court. We have already proceeded in this regard and confabulation with lawyers are on."
One of the senior most leaders of Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, Azam Khan is set to lose his Assembly membership owing to his conviction and three-year jail term as he faces disqualification as an MLA if he doesn't challenge the sentence immediately before the High Court.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly can also move ahead to disqualify him owing to the existing rule pertaining to a jail sentence of two or more years for a sitting lawmaker in any case.
The case of hate speech was registered against Khan in Rampur in April 2019. He has been convicted under Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between two groups), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) of IPC and Section 125 of the Representation of People Act 1951.
An FIR was lodged against him after the returning officer had taken cognizance of the matter following the submission of a complaint in this regard.
During his election campaign in 2019 when Azam Khan was contesting as a joint SP-BSP candidate from Rampur Parliamentary segment and had won, the Samajwadi leader accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of creating an atmosphere across the nation where Muslims found it difficult to exist.
He was accused of seeking votes on religious lines while using objectionable language against his Congress rival and the then Rampur DM whom he had accused of turning Rampur into hell.
After Khan’s address, cases were registered against him in a number of police stations and he was accused of inciting communal trouble in Rampur through his election speeches.
On Thursday, Azam Khan, who was present in the MP/MLA court, was taken into custody after pronouncing him the convict in the case of hate speech.
Earlier, the court had rejected the plea of the SP leader for deferring the date of pronouncement of the order. He had submitted that as the matter was pending in Allahabad High Court so the date of pronouncement of judgement by MP/MLA court should be postponed.
The veteran SP leader was released from Sitapur District jail in May, this year after spending around two years in jail following the Supreme Court order granted him interim bail in a case of land grabbing. Azam Khan has been facing 87 cases of different criminal offences.
However, Azam Khan's conviction comes a week after the Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to act tough on hate speeches.