SC upholds setting aside of Azam Khan's son's election

One-liner: The SC on Monday rejected a plea challenging an order of the Allahabad HC setting aside the election of Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to the UP Assembly in 2017.

Not qualified to contest: In Dec 2019, the Allahabad HC ruled that Abdullah Azam was not qualified to contest the election as he was below 25 years of age when he filed his nomination papers as the SP candidate from Suar constituency in 2017.

Two birth certificates: The case relates to the existence of two birth certificates of Abdullah Azam, who allegedly gave the wrong date of birth while filing his nomination papers for the 2017 poll.

FIR lodged: Rampur BJP leader Akash Saxena lodged an FIR at Ganj police station on Jan 3, 2019, alleging fraud in securing two birth certificates with different dates. In April, police filed the charge sheet in the case.

Sent to jail: Azam Khan and his wife were sent to jail by a Rampur court in UP for their alleged role in securing a fake birth certificate for Abdullah Azam on the basis of which he had contested the election.

Charge sheet: According to the charge sheet, in one birth certificate, issued by the Rampur municipality, Abdullah Azam's date of birth was mentioned as Jan 1, 1993. The other certificate said he was born in Lucknow on Sept 30, 1990.

Bottom line: Abdullah Azam had won from Suar assembly in 2017, but was unseated by the HC for being underage. He was again elected from the constituency in the assembly polls held in 2022.

Source: PTI