Azam Khan, a prominent figure in the Samajwadi Party and a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, has been acquitted by a court in Uttar Pradesh in a hate speech case that was filed against him in 2019. The case was based on Khan’s alleged derogatory comments directed towards UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Initially, Khan had been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison by a special MP/MLA court in Rampur back in October 2022. However, this verdict was overturned by Additional District and Sessions Judge Amitveer Singh, who subsequently sentenced Khan to three years in prison.
The special court’s decision had significant implications as it rendered Khan ineligible to continue serving in the state assembly or as a member of parliament.
The case against Khan was registered in Rampur on April 9, 2019, and involved allegations of him making provocative remarks against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the then District Magistrate, IAS Aunjaneya Kumar Singh. These alleged remarks violated sections 153a and 505-1 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.
