Senior Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Azam Khan was on Thursday sentenced to three years jail term by a court after being held guilty of making a hate speech against the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the district magistrate.
According to Section 8(3) of the Representation of People Act, Khan would lose his membership of the legislative assembly if his conviction is not stayed. The provision also makes one disqualified to contest polls for a period of six years from the date of conviction.
The former Minister was granted interim bail for a week to file an appeal before the Allahabad High Court.
Special Judge (MP/MLA) Court Nishant Mann convicted Khan under Sections 153A and 505A of the IPC and under Section 125 of the Representation of People Act. Besides three years jail, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 6,000 on him in the case lodged in April, 2019.
On May 19, the Supreme Court had invoked its extra ordinary jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant interim bail to former Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan, after noting that he had already been ordered to be released in 87 cases but was "implicated" now, in an FIR lodged on September 10, 2020.
Currently, Khan is reportedly facing as many as 90 criminal cases.
