Dual PAN card case: Major relief for Indian politician Azam Khan and son, High Court suspends sentence, grants bail

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New-Delhi: In a major relief to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Khan, the Allahabad High Court has suspended their sentence in the dual PAN card case and granted them bail.

A bench of Justice Samit Gopal passed the order allowing their applications seeking suspension of sentence. They are likely to walk out of jail.

Earlier, the Court had reserved its judgment on October 15 after hearing arguments on the criminal revision petitions filed by Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan against their convictions and sentences.

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The case arises from allegations that Abdullah Azam Khan possessed and used two PAN cards bearing different dates of birth, with his father allegedly assisting him in the purported fabrication. The prosecution claimed that the documents were used to establish eligibility to contest the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The criminal proceedings originated from a complaint lodged in 2019 by BJP leader Akash Saxena, who is now an MLA. The complaint alleged that Abdullah had obtained two PAN cards carrying different dates of birth and that the discrepancy was used to secure electoral benefits.

In November last year, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shobit Bansal of the Rampur Court found them guilty under Sections 467, 468, 420, 471 and 120-B of the IPC for the offences of forgery, cheating, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy.

Also Read: SP leader Azam Khan sentenced to 2 years jail in 2019…

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