Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former cabinet minister Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan have received major relief from the Allahabad High Court in the high-profile two PAN card case. The court has granted bail to both and suspended their sentence. However, a single bench of Justice Samit Gopal made it clear that the request to stay their conviction has been rejected. During this legal proceedings, extensive arguments from both sides were heard, and the court had reserved its verdict on October 15, which has now been pronounced.
Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan had filed criminal revision petitions challenging the trial court ruling. In these petitions, they sought to challenge the trial court order, stay the conviction, suspend the sentence, and secure release on interim bail. The single bench of Justice Samit Gopal pronounced this verdict after considering all the facts and legal aspects. The court accepted a part of the petition regarding bail and sentence suspension, but dismissed the plea to stay the conviction.
It's noteworthy that in the two PAN card case, Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam Khan were sentenced to seven years in prison each on November 17, 2025. Following the announcement of the sentence, both were taken into custody on the same day and sent to the Rampur district jail. Having spent around 11 months and 12 days, which translates to 346 days, both have been incarcerated in jail. Challenging this trial court decision, both had filed a petition in the sessions court. On April 20, 2026, the sessions court dismissed their appeal and upheld the sentence, following which both approached the High Court.
Despite receiving bail and sentence suspension from the High Court, the question of whether Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam will be able to walk out of jail remains dependent on other pending legal matters. According to the information and legal insights available, two other cases are still pending against both leaders. If a B-warrant has not been executed by the police in those remaining cases and there are no other legal hurdles obstructing their release, both individuals could potentially walk out of jail.
It's also relevant to understand what a B-warrant is, while a B-warrant is a written and official order issued by a court to extract a prisoner, undertrial, or accused person from one prison and present them before another court or jail, when that individual is already lodged in a different prison in connection with another case. This legal mechanism ensures the physical production of accused persons for ongoing judicial proceedings.
This entire legal dispute primarily revolves around allegations concerning Abdullah Azam possessing two PAN cards. The original complaint alleged that the two PAN cards possessed by Abdullah Azam contained different dates of birth. Also, it was alleged that the second PAN card was officially utilized in documents connected to electoral nominations. Following the trial in this matter, the lower court held both Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam guilty and sentenced them, prompting this extended legal battle.
This verdict has come at a time when, just a day prior, the Enforcement Directorate initiated major action by attaching properties connected to the Jauhar University. The total value of these attached properties is assessed at 426 rupees and 46 paisa crores, though their current market value is estimated to be around 1170 crore rupees. This strict enforcement action is being conducted as part of an ongoing investigation against the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, former cabinet minister Azam Khan, and other associated individuals. Amidst these concurrent legal and political developments, the bail granted by the High Court offers some relief to the Azam Khan family, though uncertainties regarding their immediate release persist due to pending cases.