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Special court dismisses Azam Khan’s plea against 2-year sentence in 2019 poll speech case
The case stems from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when Azam Khan addressed a public meeting at Mankara village under the Bhot police station area in Rampur
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan suffered a legal setback on Saturday after the MP-MLA Special Court (Sessions Trial) in Rampur dismissed his appeal against a two-year prison sentence awarded by a lower court in connection with a controversial speech made during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.
The court upheld the judgment of the MP-MLA Special Court (Magistrate Trial), affirming both Khan’s conviction and the sentence of two years’ imprisonment along with the monetary penalty imposed by the trial court.
The case stems from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when Azam Khan addressed a public meeting at Mankara village under the Bhot police station area in Rampur. During the election rally, Khan allegedly made a controversial remark from the stage, referring to a government official as a “tanakhaiya” (a salaried subordinate). The district administration viewed the statement as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct in force during the election period.
Following the speech, the then sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ghanshyam Tripathi lodged a complaint, based on which an FIR was registered at Bhot police station.
The matter was tried before the MP-MLA Special Court (Magistrate Trial). After examining the evidence and hearing the parties, the court on May 16, 2026, convicted Azam Khan under various provisions of law. It sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment under each applicable section and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 under each section.
Khan challenged the verdict before the MP-MLA Special Court (Sessions Trial), seeking to have the judgment set aside.
During the appellate proceedings, both the prosecution and the defence advanced their arguments before the court. Government counsel Seema Rana represented the prosecution and defended the trial court’s findings.
Pronouncing its judgment on Saturday, the court dismissed Azam Khan’s appeal, holding that the findings and order of the trial court were legally justified. As a result, the two-year jail sentence and the fines imposed by the lower court remain in force.
The ruling marks another legal setback for the senior SP leader, who continues to face multiple criminal cases arising out of his tenure in public office and his political activities.
