A court in Rampur sentenced Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan to 10 years in prison for a case from eight years ago involving the forcible eviction and assault of a homeowner. The Special MP/MLA Court also imposed a fine of Rs 14 lakh on Khan.
On Wednesday, the court found Khan guilty of forcefully evacuating, looting, and demolishing a house in Dungarpur. Senior prosecution officers Shiv Prakash Pandey and Rakesh Kumar Morya said that plaintiff Abrar had registered the case, alleging that on December 6, 2016, Ale Hasan and Barkat Ali Contractor entered his house, assaulted him, looted goods, and attempted to demolish his house. Khan was accused of conspiracy in the incident.
The special court’s verdict also sentenced Barkat Ali to seven years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 6 lakh. If Ali fails to pay this fine, he will face an additional 18 months of rigorous imprisonment. Ali was sentenced under various sections: seven years and Rs 3 lakh fine under section 392, six years and Rs 2 lakh fine under section 452, and two years and Rs 50,000 fine under sections 504 and 506.
Khan is currently in Sitapur jail following convictions in other cases. In 2022, he lost his Uttar Pradesh Assembly membership for three years due to a conviction in a hate speech case.
