In a significant legal development, Azam Khan, a prominent Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister, along with his wife, Tazeen Khan, and son, Abdullah, have been found guilty in a case related to fake birth certificates. The Special MP/MLA court of Rampur handed down a seven-year prison sentence to each of them, despite the fact that they had been out on bail.
The verdict was delivered by Special Magistrate Shobhit Bansal on Wednesday, who also ordered the immediate arrest of Azam Khan, his wife Tazeen, and their son Abdullah, who were subsequently taken into custody and incarcerated in Rampur jail.
The case revolved around two fraudulent birth certificates, both issued as part of a premeditated conspiracy. One of these certificates, dated June 28, 2012, was issued by the Rampur Nagar Palika and falsely claimed that Abdullah Azam Khan was born in Rampur.
In response to the court’s decision, Azam Khan expressed his intention to appeal the verdict in a higher court, with his legal team soon determining the course of action to follow. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav also voiced his support for Azam Khan, affirming that he and the party are firmly behind him and expressing their belief that justice will eventually prevail for Azam’s family. He added, “Since Azam belongs to a Muslim community, that’s why he is facing this sentence.”
This case was initiated when BJP legislator Akash Saxena from Rampur lodged a complaint against Abdullah Khan, Azam Khan’s son, accusing him of possessing two separate birth certificates. Saxena alleged that both certificates were forged and were used during the nomination filing for the 2022 assembly elections. Notably, one birth certificate was issued in Rampur, while the other was obtained in Lucknow, and both bore conflicting birthdates. Following arguments presented by the prosecution and the defense counsel, the court found Azam Khan, Tazeen Khan, and Abdullah guilty and sentenced them to seven years in prison.
