Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan gets bail in last pending case, set to walk out of jail

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former cabinet minister Azam Khan has secured major relief from the Allahabad High Court in the high-profile Quality Bar case.

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The court has granted him bail, which means he now has bail in nearly all cases registered against him, paving the way for his release from jail after almost two years. According to his lawyers, Azam Khan may walk free very soon.

Clears last legal hurdle

He had recently been granted bail in the Dungarpur case as well. Delivering its verdict on Thursday, a single bench of Justice Sameer Jain approved his bail plea in the case related to the alleged illegal occupation of the Quality Bar.

The decision had been reserved on August 21, after the completion of arguments. Azam’s lawyers stated that this was the only remaining case in which bail had not been secured. With this ruling, Azam Khan has cleared the last legal hurdle, making his release imminent.

This marks the third relief for Azam Khan within ten days. On September 10, the High Court granted him bail in the Dungarpur case, while two days earlier, a Rampur court had provided relief in a contempt case.

About Quality Bar case

The case dates back to November 17, 2019, when a complaint was lodged at Rampur’s Civil Lines police station by Gagan Arora, the owner of Quality Bar. Revenue Inspector Anangraj Singh filed the FIR.

Initially, the names of Azam Khan’s wife, Tazeen Fatima, his son Abdullah Azam, and Syed Zafar Ali Zafari were included as accused in the matter of alleged illegal encroachment. Azam Khan’s name was not part of the case at first, but was later added during the course of the investigation.

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The MP/MLA court had earlier rejected his bail application, prompting Azam to move the High Court. His lawyer, Imranullah, argued that Azam Khan was being targeted due to a political vendetta and that his name was included in the case under pressure.

The Additional Advocate General, Manish Goyal, opposed the bail plea, highlighting Azam Khan’s long criminal record and accusing him of misusing his political position to influence the matter. After hearing both sides, the High Court reserved its judgment, which has now been pronounced in Azam’s favour.

Azam Khan has been in jail for nearly two years, and his release is expected to trigger fresh political activity in Uttar Pradesh.