With 11 more, cases against Azam Khan reach 100

Khan appeared before the court through video conferencing. He is presently lodged in Sitapur jail along with his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam.

The police have pressed charges of 'criminal conspiracy' against Azam Khan in the 11 FIRs, lodged by locals of the Dongarpur area, whose houses were allegedly demolished and valuable articles allegedly 'looted' by the SP leader's close aides.

Additional district government counsel (ADGC), appointed at MP/MLA court, Ramautar Saini, said, "Azam Khan's counsel had presented surrender applications in 11 FIRs registered at the Ganj Kotwali police station in 2019 on the complaint of Dongarpur residents against Azam's close aides -- former circle officer Alay Hasan, former sub-inspector Feroz Khan, former Rampur municipality chairman Azhar Ahmed Khan and others-- under the charges of dacoity."

Azam Khan was not named in the FIRs lodged by the complainants. But, now, during the course of the investigation and on the statements of the accused, Azam Khan's name has been added, he said.

In 2019, on the complaints of the Dongarpur residents, the accused were booked under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 504 (whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation  to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely  that he will thereby outrage her modesty), 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (dacoity), 447 (criminal trespass), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 412  (dishonestly in receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity) 120-B (criminal  Conspiracy).

Azam Khan and his family have been in the Sitapur jail since February this year on various cases lodged against them ranging from encroachment, land grab, power theft, book theft, statue theft, goat theft, buffalo theft and intimidation.