Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Mohammad Azam Khan was released from Sitapur jail on Tuesday after spending 23 months behind bars in connection with multiple criminal cases.
Hundreds of party workers and supporters waited outside the jail to welcome Mr. Khan, 77, whose release was delayed by at least two hours due to pending formalities in some of his old cases with the bond fine still unpaid in at least two other cases. Once the bond was completed and sent to the jail administration after the court opened, Mr. Khan was released and left immediately for Rampur with a convoy of over a dozen vehicles.
Ahead of the SP leader’s release, the Sitapur administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the areas around the jail to prevent any untoward incidents. Announcements made through loudspeakers warned people against assembling near the jail premises.
‘Will withdraw cases when SP comes to power’
Mr. Khan was granted bail on September 18 by the Allahabad High Court in the last remaining case in which the leader was yet to get relief. Over the last seven years, dozens of First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed against him, covering a wide range of criminal cases.
