HC grants bail to SP leader Azam Khan’s wife, son in 'fraudulent' govt land allotment case

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to the wife and son of senior Samajwadi Party leader and sitting Lok Sabha member from Rampur, Mohammad Azam Khan, in a case involving fraudulent allotment of the government land to the duo.

A bench of Justice Sidharth allowed the bail pleas of Khan’s wife, Tazeen Fatma, an Uttar Pradesh assembly member from Rampur and their son Abdullah Azam Khan, a former MLA of the UP assembly, after hearing the government counsel and Khans' advocate.

While granting bail to the duo, the bench asked the trial court to expeditiously conclude the trial of the cheating case against them, possibly within a year.

The two were booked by the Uttar Pradesh police for the allegedly fraudulent allotment of a plot of land for Hotel Quality Bar in 2014.

The plot was allotted to the mother-son duo after their bid of Rs 1,200 rent a month for it was found to be the highest.

The petitioners’ counsel argued that Tazeen Fatma took the property on rent in the bonafide belief that it belonged to the Zila Sahkari Vikas Sangh, Rampur and was not aware that it actually belonged to the district administration.

Applicants were falsely implicated in this case due to political rivalry, he argued.

"Even, if it is accepted that the property belonging to the state has been let out by Zila Sahkari Vikas Sangh, Rampur to the applicant illegally, then the termination of tenancy was the only remedy," argued petitioners’ counsel.

State government counsel argued that Azam Khan who was then a minister in Uttar Pradesh used the government machinery to create forged documents for extending undue gains to his wife and son who colluded with him.

The court after hearing concerned parties allowed the bail application of Abdullah and Tazeen. 

Image credits: PTI