SC upholds HC order in setting aside 2017 election of Abdullah Azam Khan

The Supreme Court on Monday declined a plea against the Allahabad High Court order, which set aside the election of Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan, son of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2017. On September 20, the top court had reserved the judgment in the matter.

A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and B.V. Nagarathna said the petition has been dismissed. The top court judgment came on a plea by Abdullah Azam challenging the high court order.

The case is connected with the two birth certificates of Abdullah Azam, where he allegedly gave a wrong date of birth while filing the nomination papers for the 2017 poll.

The high court in December 2019 ruled that Abdullah Azam was not qualified to contest the election, since he was below 25 years of age when he filed the nomination papers as a candidate of the Samajwadi Party from the Suar constituency in 2017.

A Rampur court had sent Azam Khan and his wife to jail for their alleged role in acquiring a fake birth certificate for Abdullah Azam.

In January 2019, Rampur BJP leader Akash Saxena lodged an FIR at the Ganj police station alleging fraud in securing two birth certificates with different dates.

In 2017, Abdullah Azam won from the Suar Assembly, but was unseated by the high court for being underage. In the 2022 Assembly polls, he was again elected from the constituency.