LUCKNOW: Handing out another major jolt to beleaguered SP leader and former MP Azam Khan, a local court in Rampur, on Wednesday, sentenced him, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam Khan to seven years’ imprisonment each in connection with the case related to alleged forgery of Abdullah Azam’s birth certificate.
After the pronouncement of the verdict, Azam Khan, his wife and son were taken into custody and sent to Rampur jail. They were convicted under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged 1[document or electronic record]) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code (IPC). So far, all three were out on bail in connection with the case.
Abdullah had contested the 2017 Assembly election from Swar constituency in Rampur on an SP ticket and won. In December 2019, the Allahabad High Court declared the election of Abdullah null and void on the grounds that he was below 25 years old when he filed his nomination.
According to joint director, prosecution (Rampur) Shiv Prakash Pandey, in all, 15 prosecution witnesses were examined by the court during the hearing of the case, while the defence produced 19 witnesses.
Meanwhile, reacting to the order, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that Azam Khan and his family were being targeted to intimidate one particular section of the society and the people were not only witnessing all but also understanding the intent.
“Some people with vested interest do not want those who are propagating the education in society. Many doors of justice are there against this political conspiracy. The tyrants should remember that people’s court is also there against injustice,” posted Akhilesh Yadav on social media site X.
On the other hand, Azam Khan’s counsel Nasir Sultan said they would file an appeal against the judgment on the higher court.
The case of forged birth documents of Abdullah Azam dates back to January 3, 2019, when a local resident, Akash Saxena (now BJP MLA from Rampur), submitted a complaint at local police station alleging that Azam Khan and Tanzeen Fatima got two birth certificates fraudulently made for their son Abdullah Azam Khan.
The first certificate states he was born in Rampur and another indicated his birthplace Lucknow. The two birth certificates were issued for Abdullah, one on June 28, 2012, from Rampur municipality on the basis of an oath letter by Tanzeen Fatima and Azam Khan. The second one was issued on January 21, 2015, by the Lucknow municipality. This was issued based on a certificate given by Mary Hospital in Lucknow.
Abdullah is accused of using the first one for his passport and for travels abroad, while the second one was used for government records and for getting affiliation with Jauhar University.
Azam Khan, his wife and son surrendered before a local court in Rampur on February 26, 2020, in connection with the case. Later, all three obtained bail. Since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, 81 cases have been registered against Khan in Rampur on various charges, including land-grabbing, cheating and criminal trespass. In some cases, Azam’s wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam have been booked.