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Azam fears encounter as he, his son shifted to different jails
The father and son duo and Azam’s wife Tazeen Fatima were lodged in Rampur district Jail since October 18 after they were convicted in a fake birth certificate case by a special MP/MLA court of Rampur. The court had awarded a seven-year jail term to each of them and slapped a fine of ₹15,000 each.
Lucknow The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday night shifted Samajwadi Party leader and former UP minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam to different jails from Rampur due to administrative reasons, said senior jail and police officials here on Sunday.
The father and son duo and Azam’s wife Tazeen Fatima were lodged in Rampur district Jail since October 18 after they were convicted in a fake birth certificate case by a special MP/MLA court of Rampur. The court had awarded a seven-year jail term to each of them and slapped a fine of ₹15,000 each.
A senior jail official confirmed that the former minister was shifted to Sitapur jail in tight security where he was also lodged earlier for over two years in connection with several cases, including that of land grabbing. He was released from jail on May 22, 2022, after he got bail in nearly 88 cases registered against him.
He said Azam’s son Abdullah Azam wasshifted separately to Hardoi jail. His wife Tazeen Fatima was not shifted to any different location and continued to be lodged in Rampur jail.
Before sitting inside the police car, Azam Khan was seen speaking to the media. He said, “Anything can happen to us; we can get encountered in between our journeys.” However, the father and son were safely shifted to Sitapur and Hardoi jails respectively by Sunday afternoon.
Rampur’s additional superintendent of police (ASP) Sansar Singh said that Azam Khan and his son Abdullah were shifted from Rampur jail due to administrative and security reasons.
Speaking about the court’s judgment, former DGS (Crime) Arun Saxena said, “Abdullah Azam Khan had two birth certificates. BJP Rampur city MLA Akash Saxena had filed an FIR in the matter. After the probe, the charge-sheet was filed and the court convicted and awarded punishment to Azam, his wife and son.”
The former DGC further said that Abdullah Azam’s first birth certificate issued from Rampur was of January 1, 1993, while the other birth certificate was made in Lucknow, where his date of birth was mentioned as September 30, 1990 and the same was used to contest assembly election in 2017 and become MLA from Rampur’s Suar assembly.
Earlier on September 26, the Supreme Court had referred to the district judge, Moradabad, to address the question relating to the correct date of birth of the petitioner Khan, and sent a finding to this court for further consideration in the matter.
The court had noted that the correct date of birth relating to the petitioner was relevant for the ultimate consideration of the issues raised and to decide juvenility.
