Chicago – November 21, 2025
In a major legal blow to the Samajwadi Party, senior leader Mohammad Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam have each been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty in a “dual PAN card” forgery case. The verdict was delivered on Monday by a Special MP/MLA court in Rampur.
The court, presided by Special Judge Shobhit Bansal, convicted the duo after a detailed examination of documentary evidence, including bank records, Income Tax Department testimony, and school certificates.
Abdullah was found to have held two PAN cards under different dates of birth: one showing 1 January 1993, and another listing 30 September 1990. Prosecutors argued that the falsification was a deliberate attempt to meet the minimum age requirement to contest the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.
The pair were convicted under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including:
- Section 420 (cheating)
- Section 467 (forgery of valuable security) — this attracted the maximum sentence of seven years
- Section 468 (forgery for cheating)
The prosecution has indicated it may appeal against the judgment, calling the matter for further review.
