Supreme Court grants interim bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, May 19

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a land-grab case.

A Bench led by Justice LN Rao—which had on May 17 reserved its verdict after hearing senior counsel Kapil Sibal for Khan and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Uttar Pradesh Government—exercised its power under Article 142 of the Constitution to release Khan.

It asked Khan to file a plea for regular bail before the competent court in two weeks.

The Interim bail given to him shall continue until the regular bail plea was decided, it said.

The Uttar Pradesh Government had opposed Khan’s plea, alleging he was a land grabber and a habitual offender as various complaints were filed against him even as Sibal refuted the allegations.

The top court had on May 11 asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to respond to Khan’s bail plea in the case. “What is this? Why not let HIM go. He has been in jail for two years. One or two cases are okay but it can’t be in 89 cases. Whenever he gets bail, he is again sent to jail for some other matter. You file a reply,” the Bench led by Justice LN Rao had told the UP Government counsel.

“This chain will continue as and when Khan is released on bail in one matter, get him in another FIR and keep him behind bars,” the Bench, which also included Justice BR Gavai, had noted.

Expressing displeasure over inordinate delay in deciding Khan’s bail plea in a land grab case by the Allahabad High Court, the Supreme Court had on May 6 termed it as travesty of justice.  Khan has got bail in 86 out of 87 cases, it had noted.

The Allahabad High Court had on May 5 reserved its order on his bail application in a case of grabbing enemy property for his Mohammad Ali Jauhar University project. The high court had on December 4, 2021 reserved its decision. But the state government later sought permission to present some new facts through fresh affidavits, which were filed earlier this month.

Khan – who is presently lodged in Sitapur jail in connection with a number of cases, including that of land grabbing, lodged against him in Rampur – was in February denied interim bail by the top court campaigning in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

An FIR was lodged against Khan and others for allegedly grabbing enemy property and misappropriating public money of more than Rs 100 crore.

The FIR was lodged at police station Azem Nagar in Rampur under the IPC and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

It was alleged that during partition one Imamuddin Qureshi went to Pakistan and his land was recorded as enemy property, but Khan in collusion with others grabbed the 13.842-hectare plot.

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