New Delhi: Supreme Court, on January 4, refused to entertain the plea filed by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s plea seeking to transfer certain cases against him from Uttar Pradesh to another state.
A bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice Abdul Nazeer and Justice PS Narasimha heard the matter.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner Azam Khan said that judges don’t pass orders as it apprised the court about a matter where SC had observed that an order had been reserved in his bail plea, but the order was not passed for months.
CJI Chandrachud said, “You can approach the Allahabad High Court under Section 482 of the CrPC. Today trial is being conducted and witness statements are being recorded.This is not a ground for transfer. Can you not challenge this order before the High Court? You can always ask for a transfer before any other district of the State of Uttar Pradesh. But you’re saying that they won’t hear your plea anywhere in the State! Sorry we can’t transfer.”
The Supreme Court asked Azam Khan to approach the concerned High Court and directed that his petition may be taken up on an expeditious basis.
Azam Khan is currently facing nearly 90 cases, including a case of hate speech, corruption, and theft. During an election meeting in April 2019, a case of hate speech was registered against Azam Khan for levelling serious allegations against administrative officials posted in Rampur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat, earlier in October, announced the disqualification of Khan from the House after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a hate speech case.
In 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections, while addressing a public meeting in Khatanagaria village of the Milak Kotwali area, Azam Khan was booked for making inflammatory speeches.
A video of Khan’s statement also surfaced on social media. Khan was released from jail after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a cheating case. He spent nearly two years in jail.
In the last Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, for a record 10th time, he had won the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat. After becoming an MLA, he resigned from the Lok Sabha. In June, BJP’s Ghanshyam Lodhi wrested the Rampur parliamentary seat from the Samajwadi Party, defeating his nearest rival by over 42,000 votes in a poll.
