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Khan’s release from jail on Tuesday after nearly two years has triggered a lot of speculation about his next move
Azam Khan had been behind bars since October 2023. (File image: PTI)
Azam Khan may have walked out of jail after 23 months behind bars, but his legal troubles are far from over. While 81 cases are still pending in court against him, three of them are nearing completion, and a judgement could come in the next few weeks.
Khan’s release from jail on Tuesday after nearly two years has triggered a lot of speculation about his next move. Khan, on his part, has also left ample room for speculation by his cryptic remarks. When asked why no big leader from the Samajwadi Party had come to receive him outside the jail gates, he had quipped, “I am a small leader. Why would a big leader come to receive me?” This was seen as a potshot against the SP top leadership, especially after his wife Tanzeem had said a few months back that she had no hope of help in the family’s legal trouble from the SP leadership but only “Allah”.
While Khan has brushed off questions from the media about whether he could join the BSP as speculation, Akhilesh Yadav is set to meet him on October 8. The long-awaited meeting could set the course of their future equations and the tone of the 2027 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
But while the elections may be a little far away, his legal troubles could soon inch closer. He has to appear before the MP/MLA court on October 1 in an enemy property land grab case. The court has ordered his personal appearance in the case.
A total of 111 cases were lodged against Khan, and while a few have been closed after a final order by the court, 81 are still pending trial. Most of the cases relate to illegalities conducted in the construction of his dream project, Maulana Ali Jauhar University, in his hometown, Rampur. Khan is the lifetime chancellor of the university and also chairman of the Jauhar Trust that controls it.
The cases against him relate to money laundering, land grab, irregularities in construction, corruption, and tax violations.
Legal experts say that three cases are on the verge of completion and a judgement could be announced soon.
One of the cases relates to delivering hate speech in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Azam was contesting the elections from Rampur, and the FIR says that he instigated the public against the police on the polling date. He is alleged to be saying in a video that people should keep voting beyond the stipulated time, which is considered a violation of the model code of conduct.
The second such case is regarding making derogatory remarks against the late Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and his family in 2018. The case is being heard by the MP/MLA court in Lucknow.
The third case nearing completion is regarding Azam Khan making demeaning remarks against the armed forces in 2017. BJP leader and now MLA Akash Saxena lodged this case in Rampur in 2017.
Legal experts say that a judgement could come soon in the above three cases, and if convicted, Khan could be in trouble again.
September 26, 2025, 07:00 IST
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