The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. The SP leader was given bail in a case concerning Kotwali police station in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.
The top court today said SP leader Azam Khan will have the liberty to apply for regular bail before the concerned court within a period of two weeks. The interim bail will continue until the competent court decides on the regular bail, the Supreme Court said.
Azam Khan was granted bail by the Supreme Court two days after the Uttar Pradesh government urged the apex court to deny the same to the Samajwadi Party leader. The Yogi Adityanath government had on Tuesday opposed the bail to Azam Khan on the ground that he was a “land grabber” and a “habitual offender”.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, had told the Supreme Court bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao that Azam Khan had allegedly threatened the investigating officer in the land grabbing case.
“He is a land grabber. Private complaints have been filed against him. He is a habitual offender. Everything is forged by this person,” the ASG told the SC bench, which also comprised Justices BR Gavai and AS Bopanna.
The ASG had argued that Khan had applied for interim bail which cannot be granted.
“There are cases against him which involve life imprisonment also. His antecedents must also be looked into as he is a habitual offender and a land grabber,” ASG Raju said.
The Supreme Court had earlier observed that the Uttar Pradesh government cannot grant him bail in one case and put him in jail in another case.
“He (Khan) has been out on bail in all matters except one for so long, this is travesty of justice. We will not say anything more,” the bench had said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Azam Khan in the court, had argued that his client was imprisoned for the last two years and how can he threaten somebody.
Sibal had accused the UP government of conducting itself in a “barbaric manner”.
The apex court had then reserved its order after hearing all the parties.
It may be recalled that Azam Khan was booked along with others for allegedly grabbing enemy property and misappropriating public money of hundreds of crores of rupees.
Khan was behind bars in Sitapur jail in connection with several cases.
