Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan gets 2 years in jail in hate speech case

A court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, delivered a verdict on July 15, convicting Senior Samajwadi Party leader and MLA  Azam Khan in a hate speech case. The hate speech was made during a public gathering held in support of an alliance candidate in Rampur's Dhanora area. Azam Khan's derogatory remarks targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had raised considerable controversy.

The court, presided over by a MP/MLA judge, sentenced Azam Khan to two years in jail for his inflammatory comments against the Chief Minister. This development is perceived as a setback for the Samajwadi Party and its leader, Akhilesh Yadav, as they prepare to confront the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Following the withdrawal of his Y-category security cover by the Uttar Pradesh government a day earlier, Azam Khan has now been granted "provisional security" at the district level, as confirmed by the police. The decision to provide him with this lower level of security was reevaluated after the initial withdrawal. Under the new arrangement, Khan will be accompanied by three gunners for his protection.

The Samajwadi Party has criticized the undemocratic process of security withdrawal and has voiced concerns over potential threats to Azam Khan's life. The party asserts that despite the legal proceedings, Khan still faces risks and requires adequate protection.

This recent conviction is not the first time Azam Khan has faced legal consequences for hate speech. In May of this year, he was acquitted in another hate speech case from 2019, for which he had initially been convicted in October. In the previous case, Khan had made derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Rampur court had sentenced him to three years in prison, leading to his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh assembly. However, Azam Khan appealed the decision in the MP/MLA court, which ultimately declared him innocent, overturning the charges against him.