Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) politician Azam Khan, who was released from prison on bail on Friday, claimed on Tuesday, 24 May, that a police officer had threatened him with an encounter while he was in jail.
“When an inspector can threaten in jail that you should go underground, you have several cases against you and that you can be killed in an encounter, then it is difficult to say what my journey has been amid such dangers,” Khan said, according to news agency ANI.
Khan was released from the Sitapur district jail on Friday after being held in detention for over two years after being granted bail in an alleged cheating case. He had been in jail since 2020 in connection with several cases, including a land-grabbing case against him in Rampur.
Background
Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Khan in a cheating case.
A Justice L Nageswara Rao headed bench invoked its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant relief to Azam Khan. The court said the interim bail would operate until the court decides on the application for regular bail.
"This is a fit case to exercise the powers under Article 142," the bench, also comprising Justices BR Gavai and AS Bopanna, said.
The apex court also asked Khan to apply for regular bail before the court within two weeks.
The Allahabad High Court had granted interim bail to Azam Khan the previous week in a case related to wrongful possession of land. The case pertains to the matter wherein Khan, along with others, is accused of grabbing property for his Mohammad Ali Jauhar University project. This happened while he was serving as the university's chancellor.
The Supreme Court hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government on 11 May, saying, "Why not let him go?"
"What is this? Why not let him go? He has been in jail for two years. One or two cases is okay but it cannot be in 89 cases. Whenever he gets bail, he is again sent to jail in some other matter. You file a reply. We will hear on Tuesday," said a bench comprising justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai, and AS Bopanna, reported news agency PTI.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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