Azam Khan (politician)

Azam Khan (born 14 August 1948) is an Indian politician serving as the Member of Parliament from Rampur. He is one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party and was a member of the Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh.[1][2] He was also the senior most Cabinet Minister in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and has been a member of the legislative assembly for nine terms from Rampur assembly constituency.

Azam Khan
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
23 May 2019
Preceded byNaipal Singh
ConstituencyRampur
Member of Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh
In office
26 February 2002 – 23 May 2019[1]
Preceded byAfroz Ali Khan
ConstituencyRampur (Assembly constituency)
In office
9 June 1980 – 28 October 1995 MemberOf Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Preceded byManzoor Ali Khan
Succeeded byAfroz Ali Khan
ConstituencyRampur (Assembly constituency)
Personal details
Born (1948-08-14) 14 August 1948[1]
Rampur, United Provinces, India
(now in Uttar Pradesh, India)[1]
NationalityIndian
Political partySamajwadi Party[1]
Other political
affiliations		Janata Party
Janata Dal
Lok Dal &
Janata Party (Secular)
Spouse(s)Tazeen Fatma (wife)[1]
Children2 (including Abdullah Azam Khan)
Alma materAligarh Muslim University[2]
ProfessionLawyer, politician

Life and education

Azam Khan was born in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India to Mumtaz Khan. He attended Aligarh Muslim University and attained Bachelor of Laws degree in 1974.[1][2] Khan married Tazeen Fatma in 1981 and has two sons.[1] Prior to joining politics, he worked as a lawyer. His son Abdullah Azam Khan was an MLA from Suar from 2017 to 2019.[3]

Political career

Azam Khan has been an MLA for nine terms; all from Rampur assembly constituency. He was also a cabinet minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh. Khan is currently a member of the Samajwadi Party but has been a member of four other political parties between 1980 and 1992. During his first term (8th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he was a member of Janata Party (Secular). During his second term (9th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he was a member of the Lok Dal. Khan was a member of Janata Dal during his third term (10th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh). In his fourth term (11th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), Azam Khan was a member of Janata Party. Since 1993 (his fifth term and 12th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh), he has been a member of the Samajwadi Party.

Azam Khan also was a post holder in Samajwadi Party however on 17 May 2009 he resigned from the general secretary post of the party.[4] However, during the 15th Loksabha elections, his opposition to the Samajwadi Party candidate, Jaya Prada, and the surrounding controversies resulted in a crisis in the party,[5] and on 24 May 2009, as per his statement he was expelled for six years but according to party chief he himself resigned .[6] The Samajwadi Party later revoked his expulsion and he rejoined on 4 December 2010.[7] After his successful win in 2014, Khan has been given ticket from Rampur constituency by the Samajwadi Party for the Lok Sabha elections of 2019.[8]

Posts Held
#FromToPosition
0119801985Member, 08th Legislative Assembly
0219851989Member, 09th Legislative Assembly
0319891991Member, 10th Legislative Assembly
0419891991Minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh
0519911992Member, 11th Legislative Assembly
0619911991Minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh
0719931995Member, 12th Legislative Assembly
0819931995Minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh
0919962002Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha
1020022007Member, 14th Legislative Assembly
1120022003Leader of the opposition, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly
1220032007Cabinet minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh
1320072012Member, 15th Legislative Assembly
1420122017Member, 16th Legislative Assembly
1520122017Cabinet minister in the government of Uttar Pradesh
1620172019Member, 17th Legislative Assembly
172019IncumbentMember of Parliament 17th Lok Sabha

Khan has 80 legal cases against him related to land encroachment and criminal intimidation registered against him. He found support from party leader Akhilesh Yadav who claimed the cases were politically motivated[9] Rampur SP Ajay Pal Singh investigating the one of the cases of land grab confirmed that claims of the complainants about looting of household items, jewellery and domestic cattle were true. There are several cases of land grab registered against the NGO Jauhar trust founded by Khan.[10] In January 2020, the Rampur local administration initiated the return of occupied land to the rightful owners with around 17 bigha of land being handed over to 6 farmers.[11]

In January 2019, a case of forgery was lodged against Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatma and son with respect to the birth certificate of his son Abdullah at a local police station in Uttar Pradesh.[12] However in March 2019, the Allahabad High Court stayed their arrest until the probe was completed by the police.[13] In January 2020, the court declared the three, Abdullah and his parents, to be absconders for failing to appear in the court during the hearings of the case.[14][15] Following this, the Enforcement Directorate will be attaching the properties of Azam from the first week of February onward.[16] On 26 February 2020, he was sent to the jail along with his wife and son for making fake birth certificate of his son.[17]

See also

References
  1. "Member Profile" (in Hindi). U.P. Legislative Assembly website. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  2. "Candidate affidavit". My neta.info. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  3. "हाईकोर्ट से आजम खान को बड़ा झटका, रद्द की बेटे अब्दुल्ला की विधायकी". Amar Ujala. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. "Azam Khan resigns as SP gen secy". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  5. Bhatt, Virenda Nath (10 May 2009). "Rampuri knives out: Yadav tears into Khan". Express India.
  6. "SP expels Azam Khan for six years", The Hindu. 25 May 2009
  7. "Azam Khan returns to SP". The Indian Express. 5 December 2010.
  8. "SP-BSP-RLD combine names Azam Khan as candidate from Rampur | Bareilly News - Times of India".
  9. "SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit Rampur today to lend support to party leader Azam Khan who has 80 cases registered against him". Firstpost. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  10. "Family of Azam Khan's Sister Cry Foul as Police Picks Her Up for Questioning in Land Grab Case". News18. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  11. World, Republic (24 January 2020). "Uttar Pradesh: Farmers to get back land grabbed by Azam Khan". Republic World. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  12. Shukla, Srawan (10 August 2017). "SP leader Azam Khan's son Abdulllah found guilty of faking date of birth in election nomination paper". DNA India. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  13. PTI (28 March 2019). "Allahabad HC stays arrest of SP's Azam Khan, his wife and son in forgery case". DNA India. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  14. Abbas, Nazar (10 January 2020). "Uttar Pradesh: SP MP Azam Khan, wife and son declared absconders". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  15. "Azam Khan, his wife, son declared absconders in three cases". Times Now. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  16. "ED may attach assets of Azam and kin in land grabbing case". The Asian Age. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  17. Ahmad, Qazi Faraz (26 February 2020). "Azam Khan Surrenders with Wife and Son, Sent to Jail in Fake Birth Certificate Case". News18. Retrieved 26 February 2020.


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