Samajwadi Party MLA Azam KhanThe Allahabad High Court on Thursday reserved its order while hearing the bail plea of Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan in an alleged case of grabbing Enemy Property that was purportedly used for the construction of the Mohammed Ali Jauhar University. The varsity was built by a trust of which the Rampur MLA is the president.
The application was heard by Justice Rahul Chaturvedi. The court said that the order would be pronounced in the second week of May. Azam has been in jail for more than two years in connection with 87 cases lodged against him since 2017. He is currently lodged in Sitapur jail.
Apart from the one case related to Enemy Property, he has secured bail in all other cases.
The lone case is lodged at Rampur’s Azimnagar police station and Azam is accused of wrongfully occupying around 86 bighas of Enemy Property in 2015. The case was lodged in 2019 and claims that around 86 bigha of Enemy Property land was transferred to the Shia Waqf Board and then to Jauhar Trust.
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The land was allegedly used for the construction of Jauhar University. Azam is also the university’s chancellor. Along with Azam, the then chairman of UP Shia Central Waqf Board Wasim Rizvi is also an accused in the case among others.
In an earlier hearing on 4 December 2021, the court had reserved its decision. Later, the state government submitted an application and sought permission to present some new facts through fresh affidavits, which it filed on Thursday.
Additional Government Advocate Jai Narain, who was representing the state in the court, said, “The arguments concluded on Thursday. The court has said that it will pronounce the order tentatively in the second week of May.” Imran Ullah, who represented Azam, said, “Some fresh facts were brought on record by the state. Arguments have concluded.”
The FIR filed against Azam and others alleged that during the Partition one Imamuddin Qureshi went to Pakistan and his land was recorded as enemy property, but Khan in collusion with others grabbed the plot.
— With PTI inputs
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