SP's Azam Khan convicted with 3 years sentence in hate speech case, may lose MLA-ship

In a hate speech case over comments against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was convicted by a special MP/MLA court in the state on Thursday, October 27. He has been sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined Rs 2000. He also got bail after being convicted.

A case was filed against Khan in Rampur in April 2019, for allegedly making objectionable comments against the Uttar Pradesh CM and the then District Magistrate of Rampur, Aunjaneya Kumar Singh. The case was registered under sections 153a (promoting enmity between two groups), 505-1 (statement conducing to public mischief) of IPC along with sections 125 of the Representation of People Act 1951.

A fine of Rs 2000 has also been imposed on him. With a three-year sentence announced by the court, as per the law, Khan will no longer will be able to enter the state assembly. The legal provisions bar the MLA from the assembly if a court sentence is more than two years.

According to a judgement by the Supreme Court, an MP, MLA or MLC loses the membership in the house with immediate effect as soon as they are convicted in a criminal case with more than two years of imprisonment.

Delivering the speech in 2019 at a rally in Rampur, Khan used the words 'Criminals' for BJP leaders and also called on the people to take 'Intequam' (Revenge) against PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. He said the Muslims had suffered a lot during the BJP rule from 2014 - 2019 and thus made repeated requests to take revenge against PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath.

Azam Khan has a long list of cases against him in various courts. A special court on October 12, Wednesday framed charges against senior Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Mohd Azam Khan in a case of misuse of official letterhead and seal. There are 22 FIRs lodged against him that allege the land on which Mohammad Ali Jauhar University is being built by Azam Khan has been forcefully grabbed from the farmers. 

Some of the other FIRs accuse Azam Khan conspiring to steal a goat, buffalo, robbing jewellery from an old woman and robbing a man of Rs 16,500 from his pocket.

In one of the other cases, he is alleged of land grabbing by committing forgery. Another case alleges him of irregularities in the hiring of engineers and stenographers in the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam.

Azam Khan's assembly membership now in doubt

The stipulation is that Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan would be barred from his assembly membership if he is sentenced to more than two years of punishment in the hate speech case. He has been sentenced to 3 years prison.

Notably, earlier this year, in an alleged cheating case, Azam Khan was granted interim bail after serving two years of jail sentence. He is currently facing 90 cases. 

IMAGE: PTI