The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to interfere with the Allahabad High Court’s orders that issued bailable warrants against Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan in a service matter concerning an engineer of Jal Nigam.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar directed senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan to appear before the Lucknow bench of the high court on Wednesday after recording his “unequivocal and unqualified submission that he would surrender to the high court’s jurisdiction and tender his explanation” in the matter.

On his fervent plea that he could not earlier as well as on Tuesday appear before the high court as he was busy in campaigning and other poll-related activities, the bench asked, “Does he have a helicopter or not?”

On Khan’s counsel’s inability to furnish a response, the bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, explained, “We asked this as we have an insider with us (in an obvious hint to Justice Chandrachud, former high court chief justice).”Khan, who was appear before the high court on Tuesday, was also questioned by the bench as to how far his office as ex-officio chairman of the Jal Nigam (being urban development minister), was from the high court as he could not appear there.

“Is he free tomorrow (Wednesday),” the bench further asked his counsel senior advocate V Giri, who explained the minister had nothing to do with the case.
After hearing his counsel for about one hour, the bench said, “Petitioner (Khan) has attempted to tender his explanation with reference to order passed by the high court on February 17, March 1 and 6. Even though we heard his counsel, we consider it just and appropriate to record that it is not within our purview to hear petitioner at this juncture.