Azam Khan, Leader of Samajwadi Party Acquitted in 2019 Hate Speech Case

In a recent development, a Rampur court has acquitted senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a hate speech case dating back to 2019. 

Khan's conviction in the same case last year resulted in the loss of his Assembly membership, which subsequently led to a poll. The by-poll was won by Akash Saxena from the BJP.

Amitveer Singh, the Additional District and Sessions Judge of Rampur (MP/MLA court), has overturned a previous court order that found Azam Khan guilty in a hate speech case filed during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Khan had been sentenced to three years in prison.

Azam Khan faced allegations of using inappropriate language against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other individuals. The order, issued on October 27, 2022, was delivered by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-1 Nishant Mann.

Azam Khan was accused of delivering hate speech

Advocate Ahmed expressed concern over the matter, stating that the session court deemed the previous lower court order incorrect and mentioned that the prosecution failed to substantiate their case.

Azam Khan had served time in prison in the same case in which he was acquitted. 

As a result of his conviction in the aforementioned case, Azam Khan not only lost his membership in the Assembly but also led to subsequent by-elections. Furthermore, due to the same case, his name was later removed from the electoral rolls.

The judgement has been delivered, and our entire legal team will conduct the study and determine the next line of action."

Azam Khan was charged under several sections

Following the by-poll held on December 8, Azam Khan's close confidant Asim Raja was defeated by the BJP's Akash Saxena, who secured over 60 percent of the votes. 

In contrast, Raja managed to garner only 36 percent of the votes.

On April 9, 2019, Azam Khan was charged in a hate speech case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. 

These sections include 153A, which pertains to promoting enmity between different groups, 505(1), which involves publishing or circulating statements, rumors, or reports, and section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, which relates to promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections.