Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan walks out of Sitapur jail, welcomed by hundreds

On Tuesday morning, a large crowd, including Azam Khan’s son, his relatives, friends, associates, and Samajwadi Party workers, gathered outside Sitapur jail. Among the leaders present was Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera.

To manage the crowd, heavy police deployment was made outside the jail from early morning. Sources said MP Veera had a minor skirmish with police personnel.

Around 12.20 pm, as Azam Khan stepped out, supporters greeted him with slogans. He, however, remained silent and quietly boarded a waiting vehicle. He left the jail premises in a convoy of vehicles escorted by police.

Sources said Azam Khan was headed directly to his hometown, Rampur, from Sitapur.

Speaking to the media while on his way to Rampur, on rumours of him joining the Bahujan Samaj Party after his release from jail, Azam Khan said he had nothing to say on the matter. “In jail, there was no scope to meet anyone or even make phone calls, so I remained completely cut off. For the past two years — and even three years before that — I had no idea what was happening in the outside world. I have been out of touch for nearly five years,” he said.

He added that he treated even his adversaries with respect and, during his time in government, never acted unjustly. He said revenge is sought only when one has wronged others.

The final case, in which the bail order was issued, was registered in 2020 at the Civil Lines police station in Rampur. It involved charges of cheating and other related offences.

In October 2023, a special court in Rampur convicted Azam Khan, who is also a former MP, his wife Tanzeen Fatima, and their son Abdullah Azam Khan in a case related to the alleged forgery of Abdullah’s birth certificate that was registered in 2019.

The court sentenced all three to seven years of imprisonment. While Tanzeen Fatima and Abdullah were later granted bail in the case and subsequently released from jail, Azam Khan continued to remain behind bars due to several other criminal cases pending against him.

Azam Khan, considered one of the SP’s prominent Muslim leaders, has long been a key figure in the party. His legal troubles began with a hate speech case filed against him ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections — marking one of the first cases initiated against him. Since then, he has faced several cases and punitive actions. Multiple cases were also registered against his wife and son.
Azam Khan and Abdullah were also disqualified as members of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly following their convictions. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Azam won from the Rampur Sadar constituency, while Abdullah secured victory from the Suar constituency in Rampur.

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