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A court in Rampur on Saturday convicted and sentenced prominent Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan to two years in prison in a hate speech case recorded in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Azam is currently out on bail.
This is the third case in which Azzam has been convicted in the past six months. However, in one of the three cases his appeal against the lower court’s ruling was allowed and he was acquitted. On Saturday, Azam Khan was sentenced by the court in the hate speech case. Later on the same day, the court sentenced him (Azam Khan) to two years imprisonment and fined him as well.”
(Allegation), Rampur, Shiv Prakash Pandey.
Pandey said the court convicted Azam under section 505(1)b (with intent to cause, or is likely to cause fear or anxiety to the public, or to any section of the public where any person may be induced to commit an offense against the state or against the public peace) and 171-G (False Statement Regarding Elections). He was also convicted under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act 1951.
(raising enmity between castes with regard to the election)” On Khan’s request, the court granted him bail later in the day. “Khan has a month to file an appeal against Saturday’s ruling,” Pandey said, adding that the court had questioned seven prosecution witnesses and 11 Watch Defense.
The case was registered at Shahgad Nagar Police Station in Rampur on April 8, 2019. According to the complaint, Azam allegedly made an “inflammatory” speech targeting the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath) and the then Rampur district judge (Unghanya Kumar Singh), who was also an officer. Returning, at a public meeting in the Melak Vidhan Sabha.
The speech was delivered during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign when the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party competed in an alliance. Khan contested the elections from the Rampur Lok Sabha and won against BJP candidate Representative Jayaprada. Later, Khan renounced his Lok Sabha membership after he was elected as an MLA in the state elections. Last year, after being convicted in another hate speech case, Azam was disqualified from the state assembly.
Two days ago, the Uttar Pradesh government withdrew the ‘Y-class’ security cap from Azam, saying he was no longer required. The government sent a letter with a directive to the Rampur police, who provide security for the SP leader.
Rampur Additional Superintendent of Police, Sansar Singh, said that following the government’s directive, the security cap had been withdrawn. However, on Friday, the Rampur Police checked the threat perception of Azam Khan and decided to provide police personnel for his security. “The security cover given to Azam Khan by the Rampur Police is temporary security cover. We have informed the state government that we have provided security to Azam Khan, with reason,” said Sansar Singh.
Since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, as many as 81 cases have been registered against Azam Khan in Rampur on various charges including land grabbing, fraud and criminal trespass. Khan’s wife and son were also confined with him in some of these cases. The three are currently out on bail.
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