New Delhi: In a big relief to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, the Supreme Court today turned down the Uttar Pradesh government's request to stop him from going to Rampur. The court also granted him regular bail, and ordered the UP government to immediately unseal the land attached to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
The top court removed the bail condition set by the Allahabad High Court which required Mr Khan, who is the who is the Chancellor of Jauhar University, to hand over 13 acres of land to the administration.
"This is yet another matter where we find that the high court has referred to matters which are unrelated to the consideration of prayer for bail relating to the crime registered against the concerned accused," the bench said.
"In this order as well, the High Court has mentioned such cases which are completely unrelated to the request for bail," it said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had given an exemption to Azam Khan to file a contempt case against the UP government. Mr Khan had accused the government of taking action despite the interim stay of the court. He said action was taken on the land near Jauhar University even after the Supreme Court had ordered a stay. The barbed wire fence put up by the administration at the Jauhar University in Rampur was cut and the university was stopped from functioning, he added.
On May 27, a vacation bench of the top court stayed the high court's bail condition imposed on Mr Khan directing the District Magistrate to take possession of the land attached to the Jauhar University campus.
It had said that prima facie the bail condition imposed on Mr Khan was disproportionate and sounds like a decree of a civil court.