Azam Khan and Son Get Bail in Dual PAN Card Fraud Case
Allahabad High Court grants bail to SP leader Azam Khan and son Abdullah Azam in the dual PAN card case, suspending their sentences.
In a significant legal turn, the Allahabad High Court has granted bail to senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and his son, former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan, in connection with the controversial dual PAN card case. On Thursday, October 29, 2026, Justice Samit Gopal, presiding over a single-judge bench, provided relief to the duo by suspending the sentences previously imposed by a Rampur trial court.
The High Court's Verdict: Relief and Restrictions
While the court decided to suspend the sentences and grant bail, it did not provide a complete victory for the petitioners. The High Court explicitly rejected the plea to stay their conviction. This is a critical detail, as the refusal to stay the conviction means that their current electoral disqualification remains in effect, preventing them from contesting elections despite their release from incarceration.
The Origins of the Case
The legal battle began with a First Information Report (FIR) filed in 2019 by BJP leader Akash Saxena. The complaint alleged that Abdullah Azam Khan had illegally utilized two different Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards, which reportedly featured different dates of birth.
Trial Court Conviction
The matter reached a climax in November 2025, when the trial court, led by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shobit Bansal, found both Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam guilty. They were convicted under several stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including:
- Section 467: Forgery of valuable security
- Section 468: Forgery for purpose of cheating
- Section 420: Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property
- Section 471: Using as genuine a forged document
- Section 120-B: Criminal conspiracy
The Legal Battle in High Court
The verdict follows a period of intense legal arguments, after which the High Court had reserved its judgment on October 15. The petitioners were represented by a heavyweight legal team including Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and NI Jafri, assisted by Advocate Shashwat Anand. Opposing them, representing the State, were Senior Advocate Anoop Trivedi and Advocate Paritosh Kumar Malviya.
Parallel Financial Blow
The bail comes amidst other severe legal pressures on the Khan family. Just a day prior to the High Court's decision, on October 28, 2026, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) took aggressive action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED attached assets belonging to the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, including various buildings and land parcels with an estimated valuation of approximately Rs 1,170 crore.