LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan finds himself in fresh legal trouble after the Rampur MP/MLA court ordered further investigation into an 18-year-old case against him for allegedly demanding extortion from a trader in the name of donation for his dream project Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in 2006 during the SP regime, said police and prosecution officials on Tuesday.
The Rampur police had filed a final report in the case due to lack of evidence over the allegations, which was recently challenged following which the MP/MLA court on January 21 directed to further probe the case.
“We have received the court’s directive to further investigate the case against former cabinet minister Azam Khan after a complaint by a local trader Afsar Khan at Ganj police station on July 10, 2007. The authorities concerned have been asked to abide by the court’s directives, further investigate and make efforts to collect evidence related to the case,” said SP (Rampur) VS Mishra.
The SP informed that Afsar Khan accused Azam Khan of using his clout to raze his papad manufacturing unit operational on his purchased land for 10 years on July 19, 2006, when he did not give a donation of ₹5 lakh, allegedly sought by the former minister in the name of setting Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The complainant also alleged that the administration authorities, who were part of the team that razed his factory, did not even stop after they were shown genuine documents related to the factory and the land.
The complainant’s counsel Awadhesh Kumar Agarwal said police investigation in the case remained pending for all these years before cops filed a final report stating no evidence in support of allegations on April 3, 2024, after the complainant Afsar Khan died. He said the complainant’s son Zulfikar Khan, however, decided to take up the matter and filed an objection before the MP/MLA court against the final report.
{{/usCountry}}The complainant’s counsel Awadhesh Kumar Agarwal said police investigation in the case remained pending for all these years before cops filed a final report stating no evidence in support of allegations on April 3, 2024, after the complainant Afsar Khan died. He said the complainant’s son Zulfikar Khan, however, decided to take up the matter and filed an objection before the MP/MLA court against the final report.
{{/usCountry}}Azam Khan, who enjoyed immense clout during the Samajwadi Party regime in UP, has been languishing in jail. He is lodged in Sitapur jail after being convicted by the Rampur MP/MLA court in two separate birth certificate cases of his son Abdullah Azam in October 2023.