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Azam Khan (politician)

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This article is about the Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh. For other people, see Azam Khan § Government and politics.

Azam Khan
Member (MLA) in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly
In office
10 March 2022 – 27 October 2022[1]
Preceded byTazeen Fatma
Succeeded byAkash Saxena
In office
26 February 2002 – 23 May 2019[2]
Preceded byAfroz Ali Khan
Succeeded byTazeen Fatma
In office
9 June 1980 – 28 October 1995
Preceded byManzoor Ali Khan
Succeeded byAfroz Ali Khan
ConstituencyRampur
Chancellor of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University
Incumbent
Assumed office
2012
Vice-ChancellorProf. Sultan Mohammad Khan
Preceded byOffice established
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
23 May 2019 – 22 March 2022
Preceded byNaipal Singh
Succeeded byGhanshyam Singh Lodhi
ConstituencyRampur
Cabinet Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh
In office
15 March 2012 – 19 March 2017
GovernorRam Naik
Aziz Qureshi
Banwari Lal Joshi
Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav
Ministry and Departments
  • Parliamentary Affairs
  • Muslim Waqf
  • Urban Development
  • Water Supplies
  • Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation
  • Overall Urban Development
  • Minority Welfare and Haj.
Succeeded byAshutosh Tandon
Nand Gopal Gupta
In office
29 August 2003 – 13 May 2007
GovernorVishnu Kant Shastri
Sudarshan Agarwal
T. V. Rajeswar
Chief MinisterMulayam Singh Yadav
Ministry and Departments
  • Parliamentary Affairs
  • Urban Development
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
1996–2002
ConstituencyUttar Pradesh
Personal details
Born (1948-08-14) 14 August 1948 (age 76)[2]
Rampur, United Provinces, India
(now in Uttar Pradesh, India)[2]
Political partySamajwadi Party[2]
Other political
affiliations		Janata Party
Janata Dal
Lok Dal
Janata Party (Secular)
SpouseTazeen Fatma (wife)[2]
Children2 (including Abdullah Azam Khan)
Alma materAligarh Muslim University[3]
ProfessionLawyer, politician

Mohammad Azam Khan (born 14 August 1948) is an Indian politician, lawyer and former elected representative who has served as the Member of Parliament from Rampur. He is one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party and was a member of the Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh.[2][3] He was also the senior most Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and has been elected member of the legislative assembly ten times from Rampur assembly constituency. He was disqualified from his elected seat when he received a two-year prison sentence from the court.[4]

Life and education

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Azam Khan was born in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India to Mumtaz Khan. He attended Aligarh Muslim University and attained Bachelor of Laws degree in 1974.[2][3] Khan married Tazeen Fatma in 1981 and has two sons.[2] Prior to entering politics, he worked as a lawyer. His son Abdullah Azam Khan was an MLA from Suar Assembly Constituency from 2017 to 2019.[5]

Political career

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Azam Khan hailed from an ordinary family. He forged unions of bidi and textile workers and rickshaw pullers in order to take on Nawab of Rampur in 1980's. Azam Khan ended the political domination of the Nawab family in Rampur.[6] Since then, Azam Khan has been an MLA for ten terms; all from Rampur assembly constituency. He was also a cabinet minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh. Khan is currently a member of the Samajwadi Party but has been a member of four other political parties between 1980 and 1992. During his first term (8th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he was a member of Janata Party (Secular). During his second term (9th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he was a member of the Lok Dal. Khan was a member of Janata Dal during his third term (10th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh). In his fourth term (11th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), Azam Khan was a member of Samajwadi Janata Party. Since 1993 (his fifth term and 12th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he has been a member of the Samajwadi Party.

Azam Khan also held a post of General Secretary in Samajwadi Party. However on 17 May 2009 he resigned from the post of the party.[7] During the 15th Loksabha elections, he became involved in a controversy with Jaya Prada, who was contesting from BJP ticket and the surrounding controversies resulted in party crisis.[8] On 24 May 2009, he claimed to have been expelled for six years although the party chief claimed he himself resigned.[9] The Samajwadi Party later revoked his expulsion and he rejoined on 4 December 2010.[10] After his successful win in 2014, Khan has been given ticket from Rampur constituency by the Samajwadi Party for the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.[11]

During his career as a lawmaker and minister, there were many instances of Khan engaging in profanity. He allegedly made provocative and objectionable comments against bureaucrats, government officials and even abused his staff.[12][13][14]

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Khan was prohibited from campaigning by twice after Election Commission of India found him guilty of making objectionable comments in six of his speeches, including foul comments for his opponent Jaya Prada, and violating the Model Code of Conduct.[15][16] Khan was accused of making sexist remarks again, while addressing his electorate for the first time after winning the Lok Sabha election, and a case was filed against him.[17][18] The National Commission for Women (NCW) reacted to the incident by calling for his disqualification.[19]

In 2023, Azam Khan was sentenced a two-year imprisonment by the court for using “criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty” and inciting violence. This incident occurred in 2008 when the police stopped his vehicle for a search after an attack on CRPF camp in his constituency, Khan obstructed traffic on the road and caused inconvenience to the public on the highway.[20][21] After this conviction, he was disqualified as Member of Legislative Assembly in accordance with Representation of the People Act, 1951 which mandates any elected leader who receive a jail sentence of two years or more will be disqualified from holding office. Following their conviction, they will be ineligible to vote for six years, rendering them unable to run for any elections during this time.[22][23] He lost his seat from Rampur constituency which he held for about three decades.[24]

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Khan has been accused in almost 80 legal and criminal cases against him related to land encroachment and criminal intimidation, most of the registered after 2017 in connection with land-grabbing for Muhammad Ali Jauhar University.[25]

Rampur Police has been investigating one of the cases of land acquisition. There are several cases of land grab registered against the NGO ‘Jauhar Trust’ founded by Khan.[26]

In January 2019, a case of forgery was lodged against Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatma and son with respect to the birth certificate of his son Abdullah at a local police station in Uttar Pradesh.[27] However in March 2019, the Allahabad High Court stayed their arrest until the probe was completed by the police.[28] Khan was supported by party leader Akhilesh Yadav who claimed the cases were politically motivated,[25] however in January 2020, the court declared the three, Abdullah and his parents, to be absconders for failing to appear in the court during case hearings.[29][30] Following this, the Enforcement Directorate will be attaching the properties of Khan from the first week of February onward.[31] On 26 February 2020, Khan was sentenced to imprisonment along with his wife and son for forging a fake birth certificate for his son.[32] The Supreme Court granted interim bail on 19 May 2022 in an alleged cheating case. The interim bail will continue till his regular bail plea is decided, clearing the way for his release.[33] On 27 October 2022, an MP-MLA magistrate court Sentenced three-year jail term to Khan finding him guilty of hate speech in a 2019 case.[34] On 24 May 2023, a UP court acquitted Khan in a hate speech case.[35]

In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India berated Azam Khan and labelled the lease of government land to his Maulana Mohamad Ali Jauhar Trust in Rampur as a “misuse of office”.[36]

Positions held

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# From To Position Party
01 1980 1985 MLA (1st term) from Rampur Janata Party (S)
02 1985 1989 MLA (2nd term) from Rampur Lok Dal
03 1989 1991 MLA (3rd term) from Rampur
Minister in the Government of UP		 Janata Dal
04 1991 1992 MLA (4th term) from Rampur
Minister in the Government of UP		 Janata Party
05 1993 1995 MLA (5th term) from Rampur
Minister in the Government of UP		 SP
06 1996 2002 MP (1st term) in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh SP
07 2002 2007 MLA (6th term) from Rampur
Leader of the opposition in UP Legislative assembly (2002–03)
Cabinet Minister in the Government of UP (2003–07)		 SP
08 2007 2012 MLA (7th term) from Rampur SP
09 2012 2017 MLA (8th term) from Rampur
Cabinet Minister in the Government of UP		 SP
10 2017 2019 MLA (9th term) from Rampur (resigned in 2019) SP
11 2019 2022 MP (1st term) in 17th Lok Sabha from Rampur (resigned in 2022) SP
12 2022 2022 MLA (10th term) from Rampur (Disqualified on 27 October 2022 for The Rampur court had sentenced Mr Khan to three years of imprisonment in the hate speech case of 2019) SP

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Azam Khan is no more an MLA, his Rampur Sadar seat declared vacant". The Indian Express. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Member Profile" (in Hindi). U.P. Legislative Assembly website. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Candidate affidavit". My neta.info. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  4. ^ "SP MLA Abdullah Azam Khan disqualified from UP Assembly". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  5. ^ "हाईकोर्ट से आजम खान को बड़ा झटका, रद्द की बेटे अब्दुल्ला की विधायकी". Amar Ujala. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  6. ^ भारती, Kanwal bharti कंवल (16 December 2022). "The rise and fall of Azam Khan". Forward Press. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ Siddiqui, Pervez Iqbal (18 May 2009). "Azam Khan resigns as SP gen secy". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ^ Bhatt, Virenda Nath (10 May 2009). "Rampuri knives out: Yadav tears into Khan". Express India.
  9. ^ Khan, Atiq (25 May 2009). "SP expels Azam Khan for six years". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Azam Khan returns to SP". The Indian Express. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  11. ^ Abbas, Nazar (24 March 2019). "SP-BSP-RLD combine names Azam Khan as candidate from Rampur". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  12. ^ Gaur, Anuj Pratap (5 January 2023). "Azam threatened this IAS to get his shoes cleaned, he destroyed his empire in Rampur". Bureaucrats Magazine.
  13. ^ "Will make DM clean Mayawati's shoes, says Azam Khan". news.abplive.com. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Azam Khan's staffers accuse him of using "abusive" language". Business Standard. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Election Commission issues fresh notice to Samajwadi Party's Azam Khan for objectionable remarks". Scroll.in. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Azam Khan Barred from Campaigning Yet Again, This Time For 48 Hrs". The Quint. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  17. ^ "FIR Against Azam Khan For Making Derogatory Remarks Against Jaya Prada". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  18. ^ "FIR registered against Azam Khan, 10 others for making derogatory remarks against Jaya Prada". WION. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  19. ^ "NCW demands Azam Khan-'s disqualification from parliament over sexist remark". Deccan Chronicle. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Samajwadi Party Leader Azam Khan, Son Get 2 Years In Jail For 2008 Protest". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "The decline and fall of Azam Khan". India Today. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  22. ^ Pandey, Sanjay. "SP MLA Abdullah Azam Khan disqualified from UP assembly after conviction". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  23. ^ "SP MLA Azam Khan disqualified from UP Assembly over conviction in 15-yr-old case". mint. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  24. ^ "How Azam Khan's Rampur citadel crumbled, brick by brick". India Today. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  25. ^ a b "SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit Rampur today to lend support to party leader Azam Khan who has 80 cases registered against him". Firstpost. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  26. ^ "Family of Azam Khan's Sister Cry Foul as Police Picks Her Up for Questioning in Land Grab Case". News18. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  27. ^ Shukla, Srawan (10 August 2017). "SP leader Azam Khan's son Abdulllah found guilty of faking date of birth in election nomination paper". DNA India. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Allahabad HC stays arrest of SP's Azam Khan, his wife and son in forgery case". DNA India. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  29. ^ Abbas, Nazar (10 January 2020). "Uttar Pradesh: SP MP Azam Khan, wife and son declared absconders". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Azam Khan, his wife, son declared absconders in three cases". Times Now. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  31. ^ "ED may attach assets of Azam and kin in land grabbing case". The Asian Age. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  32. ^ Ahmad, Qazi Faraz (26 February 2020). "Azam Khan Surrenders with Wife and Son, Sent to Jail in Fake Birth Certificate Case". News18. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  33. ^ "Samajwadi Party Strongman Azam Khan Gets Bail, May Be Released". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  34. ^ Singh, Kanwardeep (27 October 2022). "Hate speech:Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan sentenced to 3 years in jail". Timesofindia.com. Retrieved 28 May 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  35. ^ "UP court acquits Azam Khan in hate speech case". Hindustantimes.com. 2019.
  36. ^ "SC slams Azam Khan for 'misuse of office' in Rampur land lease to family trust".
Lok Sabha
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Rampur
2019 – 2022 		Succeeded by
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