Supreme Court to hear Azam Khan's plea next Tuesday

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will hear Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's plea on Tuesday after it was apprised that he has been arrested in another matter.

A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai, and AS Bopanna, who was hearing the matter, said that it will hear the matter on Tuesday.

The Court said that this chain will continue and also asked why this coincidence happens whenever he gets bail in one matter, he faces another charge.

The Uttar Pradesh Government Counsel said there is not any frivolous case against Azam Khan and they will file a detailed affidavit. The counsel also defended the action against the SP leader and said that there is a substance in each of these complaints.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Azam Khan said that this is a worrisome matter.

The Supreme Court had earlier expressed displeasure with the prolonged delay in pronouncing the judgement by Allahabad High Court on Azam Khan's bail plea and called it a "travesty of justice".

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to the SP leader in a case related to wrongful possession of the land.

In a fresh application filed by Lzafeer Ahmad, it was stated that Azam Khan was arrested in another FIR which appears to be nothing more than a means to subvert justice and to prevent the Petitioner from coming out of his prolonged and politically engineered incarceration.

Azam Khan has been lodged in judicial custody in another matter pertaining to Kotwali in Rampur.

"The state has in order to satisfy political vendetta, adopted all means available, to purposefully delay and deny the right to personal liberty to a senior opposition leader and a legislator who is an incumbent and ten-term Member of the Legislative Assembly, a two-time member of the Parliament, and an erstwhile Cabinet minister of the state of UP across multiple terms," the application said.

The petition sought to quash the proceedings and grant interim bail to the Petitioner during the pendency of this Petition.

According to the application, the case dated March 18, 2020, was registered at Police Station Kotwali, Rampur in UP under sections 420 and 120B of IPC is a false and frivolous FIR wherein some alleged deficiency in the affiliation process of one of the schools being run by a trust is given a criminal colour.

"The said FIR was registered after the Petitioner, his wife and son had already been taken into custody, and was a completely false and frivolous case where the Petitioner was not named. The said FIR neither mentioned the date and time of offence nor disclosed the offence, alleged to have been committed," the petition said.

Khan has been lodged in Sitapur jail since February 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )

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