Dual PAN Case: Major Relief for Azam Khan and Son as Allahabad HC Grants Bail
Allahabad High Court grants bail to SP leader Azam Khan and son Abdullah Azam in dual PAN card case, but refuses to stay their conviction.
In a significant legal development, the Allahabad High Court has granted bail to senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan. The court's decision comes in relation to the contentious Azam Khan dual PAN case, providing the father-son duo a reprieve from their incarceration while suspending the sentences previously imposed by a trial court.
The High Court's Verdict
The order was pronounced by a single-judge bench led by Justice Samit Gopal. The SP leaders had approached the High Court through a criminal revision petition, challenging the conviction order issued by the trial court. In their plea, they had requested three primary reliefs: a stay on their conviction, the suspension of their sentences, and their release on bail.
While the court granted the suspension of the sentence and the bail, it notably rejected the plea to stay the conviction. This distinction is critical; because the conviction remains intact, the electoral disqualification associated with it continues to apply under existing legal provisions.
The Roots of the Controversy
The legal battle stems from allegations that Abdullah Azam Khan procured and possessed two separate Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards. These cards reportedly featured different dates of birth, leading to criminal proceedings against both Abdullah and his father, Azam Khan.
Concurrent Blow: ED Attaches University Assets
Even as the High Court provided interim relief regarding the PAN case, Azam Khan faced a massive financial blow from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On October 28, the ED attached the land and buildings of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
The scale of the attachment is immense:
- Book Value: Rs 426 crore
- Estimated Market Value: Rs 1,170 crore
The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), as part of a broader investigation into the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Azam Khan, who serves as the honorary Chancellor of the University.
Allegations of Land Grabbing
The ED's investigation was triggered by 26 FIRs registered at the Azeem Nagar Police Station in Rampur. These reports alleged that agricultural land belonging to local farmers was forcibly seized to build the university campus at Jauhar Nagar in Singhankhera village.
Furthermore, citing a report from the Rampur district administration, the ED claimed that Azam Khan illegally occupied approximately 34 acres of "enemy property" consisting of 45 plots. This occupation allegedly continued even after the custodian had cancelled the lease of the land to the Trust.