Limits of injustice: Akhilesh after Azam Khan, son convicted in PAN card case

Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday denounced the conviction of senior leader Mohammad Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam in a PAN-card forgery case, accusing the BJP of unleashing “injustice and oppression” in the “arrogance of power”.

In a post on X, Yadav wrote in Hindi: 'Those who cross all limits of injustice and oppression in the arrogance of power eventually fall into the grip of nature's verdict and meet a bad end. Everyone is watching everything.'

Yadav’s comments came within hours of the special MP/MLA court in Rampur sentencing both father and son to seven years’ imprisonment for obtaining two PAN cards carrying different dates of birth — a case registered in 2019 that the SP has long maintained was politically motivated.

Earlier in the day, special magistrate Shobhit Bansal pronounced Azam Khan and Abdullah guilty after scrutinising documentary evidence and witness testimonies. According to the prosecution, Abdullah already had a PAN card showing 1 January 1993 as his date of birth — a date consistent with his school records, his high school certificate and the bank account he operated. The court found that he then procured another PAN card with a different birth date and submitted it in official records.

The case, filed by BJP leader Akash Saxena at Rampur’s Civil Lines police station, invoked multiple IPC sections including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using forged document), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

The court imposed varying terms under each section, with the maximum — seven years — awarded under Section 467, which itself carries a punishment that can extend to life imprisonment. Prosecutors noted that the magistrate imposed the highest possible sentence within his jurisdiction and that time already spent in custody in this case will be deducted from the overall term.

After the sentencing, the 77-year-old leader was taken straight from the courtroom to Rampur district jail under tight security. Asked for his response, he simply said: “What is there to say now? It is the court’s decision.”

On being reminded that both he and his son had received seven-year terms, he replied: “It is fine. If they have considered me guilty, they have given the punishment.”

This marks yet another return to prison for the veteran SP leader, who has faced 84 criminal cases ranging from land grab and criminal intimidation to cheating and even goat theft. This is his fourth conviction; he has been acquitted in four other cases, while the rest remain pending. Khan was released from Sitapur jail only recently, on 23 September, after nearly two years in custody, preceded by a 27-month jail stint.

Yadav has repeatedly defended Khan, calling him “among the oldest SP leaders”, “an old tree” and “a strong pillar” of the party during a meeting in Rampur on 8 October. He has also publicly pledged that an SP government in Uttar Pradesh would withdraw what he describes as “fake and politically motivated” cases against him.

Just last week, on 7 November, Azam Khan and Abdullah met Yadav in Lucknow, reaffirming that they remain “one family” within the SP. Monday’s conviction — and the fresh spell in jail — now places that show of unity against a dramatically altered backdrop.

With PTI inputs