The Allahabad High Court on Thursday suspended the prison sentences of Samajwadi Party leader Mohd. Azam Khan and his son, former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan, in the dual PAN card case and granted them bail, providing relief to the father-son duo while their criminal revision petitions remain pending.
Justice Samit Gopal passed the order on their applications seeking suspension of sentence during the pendency of their challenges to the convictions. The High Court’s decision could facilitate their release from prison, subject to any other legal impediments.
The court had reserved its verdict on October 15 after hearing arguments on the criminal revision petitions filed by Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan against their convictions and sentences. The Uttar Pradesh government has also sought enhancement of the punishment imposed on them.
The case arises from allegations that Abdullah Azam Khan possessed and used two PAN cards bearing different dates of birth, with his father allegedly assisting him in the purported fabrication. The prosecution claimed that the documents were used to establish eligibility to contest the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The criminal proceedings originated from a complaint lodged in 2019 by BJP leader Akash Saxena, who is now an MLA. The complaint alleged that Abdullah had obtained two PAN cards carrying different dates of birth and that the discrepancy was used to secure electoral benefits.
According to the prosecution, one PAN card recorded Abdullah’s date of birth as January 1, 1993, consistent with his educational certificates. The other allegedly mentioned September 30, 1990.
The prosecution alleged that the second date was intended to make Abdullah appear eligible to contest the 2017 Assembly elections, for which a candidate must have attained the age of 25 years. It further alleged that the father and son acted in concert in connection with the disputed documents and their use.
The allegations also concerned the purported use of altered banking records and documents submitted with Abdullah’s election nomination papers
In November 2025, a Rampur court convicted Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan for offences involving cheating, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
The conviction and sentences were subsequently challenged before the Allahabad High Court through criminal revision petitions. The proceedings have also involved the state government’s plea seeking a more severe punishment.
The High Court’s order suspending their sentences and granting bail provides interim relief while the challenges to their convictions continue. The grant of bail does not, by itself, amount to setting aside the convictions.
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