Azam Khan out after 23 months: Akhilesh vows to withdraw "false cases" if SP wins, BJP warns against return of "jungle raj"

Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 23 (ANI): Prominent Samajwadi Party leader and former MP Azam Khan on Tuesday walked out of the Sitapur jail after being behind bars for almost 23 months in a Quality Bar land encroachment case.

The former Uttar Pradesh minister secured bail from the Allahabad High Court on September 18, following which he was released from prison.

As he emerged, Khan expressed heartfelt gratitude to his supporters and told ANI, “Thanks to everyone. My blessings to all who supported me.”

Addressing rumours of joining the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Khan said, “This can be explained only by those who are making the speculations…I did not meet anyone in jail. I was not allowed to make a phone call…So, I have been completely out of touch for 5 years”.

He addressed allegations of vendetta politics, asserting that he has never wronged anyone, including his adversaries.

“Vendetta comes into play only if I caused someone some harm. I have behaved well, even with my enemies. Nobody can claim that I did an injustice to anyone,” Khan told ANI.

While the opposition welcomed the release of Azam Khan, accusing the state government of registering “false cases” against him, they mentioned that they would be withdrawn once they came to power.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed happiness over the release of party leader Azam Khan from jail, stating that all “false cases” against the party leader will be withdrawn when the party comes to power in the state.

Speaking to reporters, he stated that Samajwadi Party leaders and workers believed the court would do justice in cases related to Azam Khan. He also hoped that no “false cases” would be filed by the BJP government in the state.

“SP leader Azam Khan has been released from jail. I would like to thank the Court for this. We, the Samajwadis, believed that the Court would do justice. We hope that in the time to come, no false cases will be filed and no injustice will be done by the BJP; an officer was given extension after extension. This is a matter of joy for the Samajwadis that he has been released,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav said Azam Khan has played a major role in the fight against the BJP for a long time.

“Azam Khan sahab is with the Samajwadi Party and its founder Netaji, and us. He has played a major role in the fight against the BJP for a long time. We are hopeful that every case against him will be closed. Just like the CM and DyCM have done for their leaders in the BJP, we will withdraw every false case registered against Azam Khan when Samajwadi Party forms the government,” Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav attacked the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh while alleging that his colleague and former Lok Sabha MP Azam Khan was “framed” in false cases.

Addressing reporters, Yadav welcomed the decision by the courts to grant bail to Azam Khan, who was lodged in Sitapur jail.

“Azam Khan was framed by the government in false cases. However, the court has granted him bail and has provided relief to him in cases. I welcome this decision. I welcome the Supreme Court and the High Court. Many false cases were filed against him. The Samajwadi Party stands beside him,” Yadav, six-time MLA of Jaswantnagar assembly constituency, said.

Meanwhile, the state government stressed that people of Uttar Pradesh do not want to experience a return to “Jungle Raj and Goonda Raj.”

Reacting to Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks on party leader Azam Khan’s release from Sitapur Jail earlier today, BJP MP Ravi Kishan said that the people of Uttar Pradesh do not wish to experience a return to “Jungle Raj and Goonda Raj.”

He further expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will repeatedly form the government in 2027, asserting that the party aims to secure more than 300 seats in the upcoming state assembly election.

“Now Uttar Pradesh does not want to see that jungle raj, goonda raj, bahubali raj, and kidnapping raj again; therefore, the BJP government is coming back repeatedly. In 2027, we will also cross 300,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad accused the Samajwadi Party of politicising the issue stating that they should come out of this format and follow the guidelines issued by Allahabad High Court.

“The honourable court has given its verdict, and everyone should follow the court’s guidelines. The Samajwadi Party tries to politicise every issue — it is time for the Samajwadi Party to move beyond this pattern,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are heading toward ‘certain’ defeat in the 2027 elections, irrespective of former Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan’s political choices following his bail in connection with the Quality Bar land encroachment case.

In a post shared on X, Maurya said, “Whether Mohammad Azam Khan stays in the SP or goes to the BSP, the defeat of both SP-BSP in 2027 is certain.”

The Allahabad High Court on September 18 granted bail to Samajwadi Party leader and former Minister Mohammad Azam Khan in the Quality Bar land case.

Speaking to ANI, Azam Khan’s advocate, Mohammad Khalid, stated that with this bail, there are no pending cases keeping him in jail, suggesting he’s likely to be released soon.

“So, there’s no pending case that would keep him in jail. As of today, bail has been granted in all the cases. This process may take two to three days. As of now, there are no other pending cases…,” said Khalid.

Explaining the Quality Bar land case, Khalid said that the allegations claimed Azam Khan misused his power as a Cabinet Minister in 2013 to allot land to a family member.

“This matter was related to a society that owned a building called Quality Bar and owned some land. The allegation was that when Khan Sahab was a Cabinet Minister in 2013, he misused his power and, through his influence on society, allotted this land on lease to a family member. While the facts were otherwise, the society was independent, had issued a tender, and the highest bidder was his family member, his wife, so she was allotted. This is a 2013 matter. An FIR was filed in 2019, and a further investigation was conducted in 2024, in which Khan Sahab was named as an accused. We presented all these facts to the court…so bail was finally granted in this one as well today,” added Khalid. (ANI)

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