SP Heavyweight Azam Khan Sentenced to Two Years in Jail in 'Shoe Cleaning' Remark Case

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Rampur district court in connection with an alleged objectionable remark made during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign.

The jailed SP leader, currently lodged in Rampur jail, was also fined Rs 20,000 by the court. Khan appeared before the court through video conferencing on Saturday. Special Public Prosecutor Rakesh Maurya said the court convicted Khan after examining 10 prosecution witnesses in the case.

“The court sentenced Azam Khan to two years imprisonment and also imposed a Rs 20,000 fine on him,” Maurya said.

What Was the 2019 Azam Khan Case?

The case dates back to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when Khan was contesting from the Rampur parliamentary constituency as the joint candidate of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance.

According to the prosecution, Khan allegedly made objectionable remarks against government officials during a public meeting while campaigning for the elections. The remarks were later circulated on social media and were alleged to be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

A complaint was filed on May 11, 2019, by then Rampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ghanshyam Tripathi at Bhot police station. The court held Khan guilty under IPC Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups), 153-B (assertions prejudicial to national integration), and 505 (statements promoting hatred or ill will between classes). He was also convicted under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

Khan’s lawyer Nasir Sultan said the verdict would be challenged in a higher court.

Azam Khan’s Legal Troubles Continue

A 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister, Azam Khan has long been considered one of the Samajwadi Party’s most influential Muslim leaders. He has been in jail since November last year following his conviction in a forgery case related to the alleged use of two PAN cards.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police records, more than 81 cases have been registered against Khan since the BJP came to power in the state in 2017. Around 70 of these cases were filed in 2019 alone.

The charges against him include alleged land grabbing, cheating, hate speech, criminal intimidation and trespassing.

With the latest verdict, Khan has now been convicted in eight cases — seven in Rampur and one in Moradabad. He has appealed against several convictions, while also securing bail or suspension of sentence in some cases. He has also been acquitted in six cases, though the state government has challenged some of those acquittals in higher courts.