Rampur (UP), Oct 18 : Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former cabinet minister Mohammad Azam Khan, his wife and former MP Tanzeen Fatima and their son and former MLA Abdullah Azam were sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a fake birth certificate case by a special court in Rampur here in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, prosecution sources said here.
Prosecution sources said that in 2019 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and sitting MLA Akash Saxena filed a case of possessing two birth certificates against Abdullah Azam in which Azam Khan and his wife Tazeen Fatima were made the co-accused.
Former District Government Counsel (DGC) Arun Prakash said that two birth certificates were issued in the name of Abdullah. “While one was issued by Lucknow Municipal Corporation, another one was issued from Rampur. There was a difference of 3 years in both the certificates on the basis of which Abdullah contested the assembly election,” he said.
Prosecution sources said that a revision petition was filed by Azam’s side in the court of the District Judge, which was rejected by the special MP-MLA court. “After the hearing concluded the special court of MP-MLA Judge Shobhit Bansal held Azam, his wife Tazeen and son Abdullah guilty,” they said.
Prosecution Officer Amarnath Tiwari said that the court granted maximum punishment of 7 years imprisonment to Azam and his family along with penalty. He said that on behalf of Azam relief was requested citing his age, but the court rejected the plea stating that the former minister was being emulated by others for occupying honourable posts.
Prosecution sources said that the term served by Azam and his family in the jail in the past will be deducted from the punishment. It may be noted that currently Azam and his family were on bail in this case.
