Azam khan
Earlier, the high court had reserved its judgment on October 15, which was pronounced on Thursday. In Nov last year, additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Shobhit Bansal of the Rampur court found them guilty under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection with offences involving forgery, cheating, the use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy. The case relates to an FIR lodged in 2019 by BJP leader Akash Saxena, now an MLA, alleging that Abdullah had used two PAN cards bearing different dates of birth to gain undue benefits. Abdullah initially obtained a PAN card from the income tax department showing Jan 1, 1993, as his date of birth, according to the prosecution. However, it was further alleged that, to contest the 2017 assembly elections, Abdullah altered his bank passbook, changed the PAN details and submitted a forged copy of the passbook along with his nomination papers. The second PAN card recorded his date of birth as Sept 30, 1990. The alleged fabrication was intended to make him eligible to contest the polls by meeting the minimum age requirement of 25 years.
Since their conviction has not been stayed, they cannot contest the forthcoming assembly election because, as per an apex court ruling, a person sentenced to two or more years in prison cannot contest an election. Earlier reporting noted: As their conviction has not been stayed, they cannot contest the forthcoming assembly polls because, as per apex court ruling, a person having two or more years of sentence cannot contest election. Stay updated with the latest Prayagraj news.
The said prayer(s) thus stand dismissed.” However, Justice Samit Gopal rejected their plea seeking stay on their conviction. In this case, the trial court had sentenced them to seven years in prison. The court passed the order allowing their application seeking suspension of sentence. Following the grant of bail, they are likely to walk out of jail. After convicting the duo, the ACJM sentenced them to seven years in prison. This matched the date recorded in his school and high school certificates. The PAN card was also used to operate a bank account and file income tax returns. The prosecution argued that Abdullah had done so in conspiracy with his father. It was also claimed that the bank account mentioned in the nomination papers was neither linked to nor operated through the second PAN card. Download the TOI App. In this case, the trial court had awarded them seven years’ sentence. This court does not find it a fit case for grant of stay of conviction to the revisionists Mohd Azam Khan and Mohd Abdullah Azam Khan.
Azam and Abdullah had filed criminal revision petitions before the high court challenging their convictions and sentences in the alleged dual PAN card case. Earlier reporting noted: The court observed: “Thus looking to the criminal antecedents of the accused/revisionists, their previous conviction(s), involvement in large number of criminal cases, no justifiable reason is coming forward for entertaining the plea for suspension of conviction. Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court on Thursday granted bail to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah in the alleged dual PAN card and fake passport case, while suspending their sentences handed down to them by the trial court in Rampur. Earlier reporting noted: HC grants bail to SP leader Azam, his son in ‘dual PAN cards’ case PRAYAGRAJ The Allahabad high court on Thursday granted bail to Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan and his son Mohd Abdullah Azam Khan, a former legislator, in the dual PAN cards case while suspending the sentences handed down to them by the trial court at Rampur.