UP court sentences SP leader Azam Khan, MLA son to 2 years in jail

Moradabad (UP): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and his MLA son Abdullah Azam were sentenced to two years in jail in a 15-year-old case by a court here on Monday.

However, the court has granted bail to both.

The judge of the MP-MLA court, Smita Goswami, awarded the jail term to the duo and also slapped a fine of Rs 3,000 each on them, district government counsel Nitin Gupta said.

Special Public Prosecutor Mohan Lal Vishnoi said the FIR against Khan, Azam and seven others was lodged in 2008. The accused had sat on dharna on a state highway on January 29, 2008 as their cavalcade was stopped by police for checking in the wake of an attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh on December 31, 2007.

The FIR was lodged at the Chhajlait police station.

While Khan and Azam were sentenced to two years in jail under section 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the seven other accused were exonerated.

Defence lawyer Shahnawaz Hussain said the court has granted bail to both Khan and Azam.