Overview
- An MP-MLA court in Rampur convicted Mohammad Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam of possessing two PAN cards with different birth dates, finding them guilty of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy.
- Both were sentenced to seven years and fined Rs 50,000 each, with police taking them into custody inside the courtroom.
- Special Judge Shobhit Bansal said the ruling rested on documentary evidence, bank records and testimony from Income Tax officials.
- The case arose from a December 2019 FIR by BJP MLA Akash Saxena at Rampur’s Civil Lines police station, alleging the second PAN was used to make Abdullah eligible for the 2017 assembly election.
- The Samajwadi Party called the verdict politically motivated, while the BJP termed it a victory for the rule of law, and the defense retains the option to appeal.