Supreme Court upholds setting aside of 2017 election of Abdullah Azam Khan from U.P. Assembly

New Delhi The Supreme Court on November 7 rejected a plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High

The Supreme Court on November 7 rejected a plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court setting aside the election of Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2017.

“We have dismissed [the plea],” said a Bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and B.V. Nagarathna while pronouncing the verdict on Mr. Abdullah Azam’s plea against the High Court order.

The Supreme Court had reserved order on the issue on September 20.

In December 2019, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that Mr. Abdullah Azam Khan was not qualified to contest the election as he was below 25 years of age when he filed his nomination papers as the SP candidate from Suar constituency in 2017.

The case relates to the existence of two birth certificates of Mr. Abdullah Azam Khan, who allegedly gave a wrong date of birth while filing his nomination papers for the 2017 poll.

Rampur BJP leader Akash Saxena had lodged an FIR at Ganj police station on January 3, 2019 alleging fraud in securing two birth certificates with different dates. In April, police had filed the charge sheet in the case.

Azam Khan and his wife were sent to jail by a Rampur court in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in securing a fake birth certificate for Mr. Abdullah Azam Khan on the basis of which he had contested the election.