Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatima, and son Abdullah Azam Khan faced sentencing in a Rampur MP-MLA court for their involvement in a fake birth certificate case. In response to the verdict, Azam Khan said, "There is a difference between decision & justice. This is just a decision..." Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav conveyed his confidence in the judicial process, declaring, "We have faith in the judiciary. Azam Khan and his family will soon get justice. There has been a big conspiracy against him," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
The sentencing comes after BJP MLA Akash Saxena filed a case against Abdullah Azam in 2019, alleging the possession of two birth certificates. Azam Khan and his wife Tazeen Fatima were also named as accused in the case, which included charges under IPC Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471.
Abdullah Azam was accused of exploiting two birth certificates, issued by the Lucknow and Rampur municipalities, for different purposes. His first certificate, issued by Lucknow, was used for acquiring a passport for overseas travel, while the second certificate, dated January 1, 1993, was utilised for various government-related matters. The court deemed these certificates to be fraudulently obtained, part of a pre-planned conspiracy.
This recent development is a setback for Abdullah Azam, who faced disqualification from his position as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly earlier this year after being convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in a 15-year-old case. Last week's refusal by the Supreme Court to grant Abdullah an interim stay of execution added to his legal woes.
It is to be noted that both Azam Khan and his son Abdullah were convicted in a hate speech case in 2019. Before being disqualified from public office, they represented the Suar Assembly constituency in Rampur district.