UP court acquits Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in 2019 hate speech case

Khan had been charged with delivering objectionable speech during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections while campaigning

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and party general secretary Azam Khan was on Wednesday acquitted in the hate speech case by a MP/MLA Court (session trial) in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district

The court set aside the earlier judgement of the MP/MLA Court (magistrate trial) which had sentenced him to three and had also slapped a fine of Rs six thousand on the SP leader. Khan had lost his membership of the UP assembly following the earlier judgement.

The court, while acquitting Khan in the case, cited the judgements of the supreme court and high court in its 70-page order.

Khan had challenged the judgement of the lower court. The court pronounced its verdict on Wednesday after hearing the prosecution and the defence.

Also Read | Azam Khan's aide arrested by Uttar Pradesh police

It was however not clear if Khan, then an MLA from the Rampur Sadar assembly seat, would get back the membership of the assembly. A by-poll had been held at Rampur Sadar seat a few months back in which BJP nominee Akash Saxena had defeated the SP candidate.

Khan had been charged with delivering an objectionable speech during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections while campaigning. The prosecution had contended that he had tried to incite communal hatred and also threatened the then-district magistrate.

Khan was then a joint candidate of the SP-BSP alliance from the Rampur LS seat. He had won the poll but had later resigned his seat after winning the assembly poll from Rampur. Khan was already facing dozens of cases, including those of land grabbing, theft and misusing authority during the SP regime.