Freed 2 Months Ago, Azam Khan Back In Jail | A look At His Long Running Legal Battles

New Delhi: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has been sent back to jail after a Special MP-MLA Magistrate Court in Rampur sentenced him and his son, Abdullah Azam, to seven years’ imprisonment in the dual PAN card case. Khan, who has faced more than 100 criminal cases over the years, was previously jailed for nearly 23 months before securing bail in September 2025.

Acquitted in 2014 Letterhead Misuse Case

Just days before this new conviction, Khan received a brief legal reprieve when a Lucknow court acquitted him in a 2014 case.

He had been accused of misusing official government stationery and his ministerial letterhead to issue defamatory statements against the BJP and the RSS.

The court ruled the evidence insufficient, observing, “After considering all aspects, the court is of the opinion that the charges against accused Azam Khan have not been proven beyond doubt. Hence, he deserves to be acquitted.” The judgement reiterated that the allegations “have not been established beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Hate Speech Cases: One Conviction, One Relief

In October 2022, an MP-MLA court sentenced Khan to three years in jail for a 2019 hate speech. In May 2023, he was acquitted in a separate hate speech case, offering him partial relief.

SC Rebuke Over Rampur Land Lease

Even beyond criminal cases, scrutiny hasn’t loosened. In October 2024, the Supreme Court strongly criticised Khan over the lease of government land to his Maulana Mohamad Ali Jauhar Trust in Rampur, calling it a clear “misuse of office.”

Since his release earlier this year, Khan had been attempting a slow re-entry into state politics. He met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav last month, calling their equation a “kinship relationship.” Khan had also resumed public criticism of the Uttar Pradesh government, sharpening his attacks on its law-and-order record. But legal trouble crept back almost immediately.

Earlier, Khan was also banned by the EC from campaigning for the next three days for making derogatory remarks against actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada, his BJP opponent in Rampur while addressing an election rally.

ALSO READ: Rampur Court Sentences Azam Khan, Son to 7 Years in Jail for Dual PAN Card Fraud