During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Azam Khan was booked for making inflammatory speeches
As the Income Tax Department raids continued for the third day in a row, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Friday said that nothing was found in the raids that can be seized.
After the Raids, Azam Khan told news agency ANI "On September 13, the team of IT came to our house, they searched the house for 3 days. They have searched all the almirahs, drawers and all files, whatever can be searched, they did it all. In this sudden raid, they found only what I have earned in my political life of 45-50 years, there was nothing found which can be seized."
"The University (Mohammad Ali Jauhar University) was made for weaker sections of the society. The same thing happened with Madan Mohan Malviya which is being repeated with me. The strength to endure is still there. We will keep trying for the future of the coming generations," Azam Khan added.
The Secretary and Deputy General Manager of District Cooperative Bank, Rampur, have been suspended over irregularities in giving interest to Azam Khan's Jauhar Trust and Rampur Public School.
BJP MLA Akash Saxena had complained about the irregularities to the Chief Minister after which an inquiry committee was formed. The investigation of the committee revealed that the interest was paid against the rules by the officials of the Cooperative Bank.
An action was taken by the officials in which Rampur District Cooperative Bank Secretary Upendra Kumar Saraswat and Deputy General Manager Shakeel Ahmed were suspended.
Meanwhile, the department on Wednesday conducted searches at over 30 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as part of its tax evasion probe against Khan and people associated with him.
Searches were conducted on Thursday too at Mr Khan's Rampur residence.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Azam Khan was booked for making inflammatory speeches while addressing a public meeting in Khatanagaria village of the Milak Kotwali area.
The Allahabad High Court in May 2022 granted interim bail to Azam Khan in a matter which was related to a wrongful possession of Waqf board property land. Azam Khan began his political career by winning the 1980 assembly election on Janata Party (Secular) ticket from Rampur. He has served as a minister in both the Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav governments.
As many as 81 cases have since been registered against the SP stalwart in Rampur on several charges including land grabbing, cheating, criminal trespass and hate speech.
Mr Khan's wife and ex-MP Tanzeen Fatima and their son and former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan have also been booked in at least 40 cases. All three are currently out on bail.
Azam along with Tanzeen Fatima and Abdullah Azam Khan was arrested in February 2020 in a case of alleged forgery of the latter's birth certificate. Azam Khan was released from jail in May 2022. Tanzeen Fatima was released from prison in December 2020 and Abdullah Khan in January 2022.