SC reserves order on interim bail plea of Azam Khan in matter concerning to Kotwali police station in UP
May 17, 2022
New Delhi [India], May 17 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved order on the interim bail plea of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in another case relating to Kotwali police station in Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai, AS Bopanna, who was hearing the matter, reserved the order after hearing both parties.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for Uttar Pradesh state, opposed Azam Khan plea and said that, he is a land grabber, various private complaints are filed, and he is a habitual offender.
Appearing for Azam Khan, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal told the court that he has nothing to do with the school as he was not running it.
The Supreme Court had earlier expressed displeasure with prolonged delay in pronouncing the judgement by Allahabad HC on Azam Khan bail plea and called it as a 'travesty of justice'.
Allahabad High Court on last week granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan in a case related to wrongful possession of the land.
In a present 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, 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 application, the Case Crime No. 70/2020 dated 18.03.2020, registered at Police Station Kotwali, Rampur, UP, registered under Sections 420 and 120B IPC is a false and frivolous FIR wherein some alleged deficiency in 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 last year as many cases are registered against him.
