Former MLA Abdullah Azam, who is already serving seven years in the double PAN card case, has now received another seven-year sentence in two passport cases. Moreover, the court has also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on him. During the hearing, Abdullah Azam appeared before the court through video conferencing.
SP leader Azam Khan’s son faced these charges after City MLA Akash Saxena filed a complaint in 2019 at the Civil Lines police station. Saxena alleged that Abdullah Azam had two passports, and furthermore, he had even used one of them for foreign travel.
The case remained pending in the MP-MLA Magistrate Court. Abdullah Azam, meanwhile, approached the Supreme Court to get the FIR quashed; however, he received no relief. Therefore, the trial resumed following the Supreme Court’s directions.
On Friday (December 5), the Rampur court delivered its verdict. The former MLA was again produced via video conferencing. The court held him guilty and consequently awarded seven years’ imprisonment along with a ₹50,000 fine.
What is the case about?
In 2019, MLA Akash Saxena filed an FIR stating that Abdullah Azam obtained a passport using false and forged documents. He claimed that the passport number Z4307442, issued on 10 January 2018, carried a different date of birth.
Although Abdullah’s educational certificates — High School, B.Tech, and M.Tech — show his date of birth as 1 January 1993, the passport mentioned 30 September 1990. He allegedly used this passport for business-related foreign trips, economic benefits, identity verification in multiple institutions, and various official applications.
Meanwhile, he also used his educational documents for benefits such as institutional recognition and ID proofs. Consequently, the FIR stated that his educational records and passport carried contradictory details regarding his birth date and birthplace. Nevertheless, Abdullah Azam allegedly kept using whichever document suited his needs to gain undue advantage.
The complaint further claimed that he deliberately obtained passport number Z4307442 with incorrect information and misused it. Therefore, his actions fall under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC, and Section 12(1)(a) of the Passport Act, which are punishable offences.
