Azam Khan, Abdullah Azam Held by ED Minutes After Release

Rampur, October 31: Fresh legal trouble has followed Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam within minutes of their release from jail. The Enforcement Directorate detained both men outside the Rampur district jail on Saturday.

In a statement, the ED said Azam Khan had been taken into custody and would be arrested after the formal process was completed. He would then be produced before the PMLA court in Ghaziabad.

Samajwadi Party workers and supporters continued to gather outside the jail. Concerned about the rising crowd, the police and administration went on alert and requisitioned additional police personnel from nearby stations.

The ED's move came as the two were being released in a case linked to PAN cards.

Earlier, on October 29, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam and suspended their sentences in the case of possessing two PAN cards. The court, however, refused to put a stay on their conviction.

Justice Samit Gopal, sitting as a single judge, decided the matter after hearing the revision petitions the two had filed against the lower court's conviction and sentence.

The prosecution's case is that a second PAN card, carrying different birth dates, was created and used. The allegations also cover the claimed use of that second card in election nomination forms.

With the sentences suspended and bail granted, the conviction remains in effect. The High Court will rule separately on the final outcome of the revision petitions.