On Thursday, the special MP/MLA court in Rampur sentenced senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan to a maximum of 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of ₹14 lakh. He and another individual were found guilty in an eight-year-old case involving the forcible eviction, looting, and demolition of a house in the Dungarpur Asra Awas Yojana colony in Rampur in 2016, according to senior prosecution officers.
District government advocate Seema Rana stated that the court convicted Azam Khan and contractor Barkat Ali on Wednesday. Khan received a 10-year prison sentence and a ₹14 lakh fine, while Barkat Ali was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined ₹6 lakh. MP/MLA court judge Vijay Kumar pronounced the judgment.
Senior prosecution officer Shiv Prakash Pandey said the case was filed by plaintiff Abrar at the Ganj police station. Abrar alleged that on December 6, 2016, Ale Hasan and Barkat Ali Contractor entered his house, assaulted him, attempted to kill him, and then demolished and looted the house.
Pandey explained that Azam Khan was accused of conspiracy in the case. The court found the duo guilty under several IPC sections, including 392 (robbery), 452 (house trespass), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
The file of retired deputy superintendent of police Ale Hasan was separated due to a high court order staying his proceedings. The trial continued for Azam Khan and Barkat Ali Contractor.
On January 31, 2024, Khan was sentenced to seven years in prison in another case related to the same incident, although he was acquitted in two other related cases. The charges were filed against him and others in 2019 after the BJP government took power in the state in 2017. This is the third case in which Khan has been sentenced since July 2023. Previously, he received a two-year jail term in a hate speech case from the Rampur MP/MLA court on July 15, 2023. (With inputs from agencies)
