The three family members were convicted by a Rampur court for forgery
The Allahabad High Court on Friday granted bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam Khan in the fake birth certificate case.
However, the single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh only stayed the sentence of Azam Khan.
The three family members were convicted by a Rampur court for forgery.
Despite Friday's court order Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam will have to remain behind bars as several other cases are going on against them.
Nasir Sultan, Azam Khan's advocate said, "I have not read the High Court order yet but following the bail order Tazeen Fatima is likely to come out of jail. However, Azam Khan and Abdullah will have to remain behind bars as several other cases are pending against them." The bail was granted while hearing the revision petition filed by Azam Khan, his wife and son, challenging the seven years' imprisonment awarded to them by the Rampur sessions court on October 18, 2023, in a forgery case related to Abdullah's birth certificates.
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to January 3, 2019, when Akash Saxena, who is now the BJP MLA from Rampur, lodged a complaint alleging that Azam Khan and his wife got two birth certificates made for their son Abdullah Azam Khan.
Subsequently, the Rampur sessions court found the trio guilty under sections 420 (cheating), 467(forgery valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 472 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and awarded seven years' imprisonment to all the three convicts.
Since the conviction, Azam Khan, a 10-time MLA who was also elected as MP from Rampur, is lodged in Sitapur Jail. Abdullah Azam is in Hardoi jail while Tazeen Fatima is in Rampur jail.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)