The Allahabad High Court on Thursday granted bail to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam in a dual PAN card fraud case, paving the way for their release from jail after nearly 11 months.
However, the court refused to stay their conviction while hearing revision petitions challenging the trial court’s judgment.
Justice Samit Gopal granted bail to the father and son, but dismissed their pleas seeking suspension of their convictions. Their release will follow the completion of bail formalities, according to their counsel.
In November 2025, a Rampur court sentenced Azam Khan to 10 years in prison and Abdullah to seven years in the case. The appellate district court subsequently upheld their convictions and enhanced their sentences.
What Is the Dual PAN Card Case?
The case stems from a complaint filed by BJP leader Akash Saxena at Rampur’s Civil Lines police station in 2019.
Saxena alleged that Abdullah had obtained two PAN cards carrying different dates of birth, January 1, 1993, and September 30, 1990.
According to the complaint, Abdullah used the PAN card carrying the incorrect date of birth while filing his nomination papers for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections from the Swar constituency. The allegation was that his age had been misrepresented to meet the minimum eligibility requirement for contesting the election.
Saxena also accused Azam Khan of conspiring with his son to obtain the second PAN card and conceal Abdullah’s actual age.
Abdullah was elected as the Samajwadi Party MLA from Swar in both 2017 and 2022. He was disqualified in 2023 after a court sentenced him to imprisonment in separate cases.
High Court Refuses to Stay Conviction
While granting bail, the High Court considered the period of incarceration served by both leaders and the fact that the case involved fixed-term sentences.
The court noted that Azam Khan had undergone more than four years of imprisonment, while Abdullah had served more than three years, including remission, according to their custody certificates.
At the same time, Justice Gopal refused to suspend their convictions, citing their criminal antecedents and previous convictions.
The order referred to 92 criminal cases against Azam Khan, including 81 pending cases, and 46 cases against Abdullah, of which 44 were pending. It also noted their previous convictions and the dismissal of appeals in some matters.
The court said it did not find sufficient grounds to stay their convictions and dismissed that part of their petitions.
BJP Complainant to Challenge Bail
Reacting to the High Court’s decision, Saxena said the bail order did not amount to an acquittal and announced that he would approach the Supreme Court.
“They have got bail, they have not been exonerated. I’ll move the Supreme Court against their bail,” he told reporters in Rampur.
Saxena, who has filed several cases against Azam Khan and members of his family, was elected MLA from Rampur in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Azam Khan had been disqualified after his conviction in a separate hate speech case involving remarks against government officials.
The Supreme Court had previously granted bail to Azam and Abdullah in their other cases, leaving the dual PAN card case as the remaining legal hurdle to their release.
