Rampur: Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam will remain in Rampur jail, where they have been assigned prisoner numbers 425 and 426. The jail administration has also issued them the standard uniforms given to convicts. Officials said the numbers are based on the prisoner register.
Azam Khan has served 10 terms as MLA from the city, four terms as a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government and once each as a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Once considered a powerful figure in the state and often referred to as the "mini deputy chief minister" of Uttar Pradesh, he now faces a series of legal setbacks. More than 100 cases were filed against him after the Samajwadi Party lost power, and he has been convicted in seven so far. Recently, Azam Khan and his son were sentenced to seven years in the dual PAN card case.
Following the conviction, both were lodged in Rampur jail, where they are being kept as per the jail manual. Azam Khan has been assigned prisoner number 425 and Abdullah Azam number 426. Jail Superintendent Rajesh Yadav said the numbering follows the register maintained for all inmates and that both have been issued the uniform designated for convicts.
Both are lodged in Barrack Number 1 along with several other prisoners. According to the jail administration, new inmates are kept together for the first ten days, and Azam Khan and his son are housed in the same barrack under this rule. They are receiving food and breakfast according to the jail manual.
If the state government grants approval for political prisoners to receive special facilities, they may be entitled to items such as blankets, mosquito nets, a table and chairs. Superintendent Yadav said political detainees are usually given separate barracks.
Any transfer of Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam to another jail would require permission from the court. The court has also allowed Azam Khan’s request to keep his son with him. The order was passed by the MP-MLA Magistrate Court on a petition filed by their lawyers. The court directed the jail administration to provide facilities as prescribed for political prisoners and made it clear that any transfer must take place only after court approval.
Advocate Sandeep Saxena, representing complainant and city MLA Akash Saxena, said the court has disposed of the petitions accordingly. District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi said any decision regarding Azam Khan’s jail transfer will be taken based on government instructions.
