Allahabad HC rejects bail pleas of Azam Khan, his son in forgery case

The Allahabad High court on Thursday denied bail to senior SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan and his disqualified UP MLA son, arrested in a case of cheating and forgery for fraudulently obtaining a fake PAN card for the latter. A bench of Justice Suneet Kumar denied bail to the Lok Sabha MP from Rampur, Azam Khan, and his son Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan saying that granting bail to them at this juncture will not be in the public interest.

The court also feared that on being enlarged on bail, they may try to influence witnesses in the case. "Having regard to the position and status of the accused persons, the repetition of the offences and the pervasive influence that applicants exercise in various departments of the State, there is a reasonable apprehension of the witnesses being influenced and danger to the course of justice being thwarted," said the bench

"Accordingly, in the circumstances, the grant of bail at this stage would not be in the public interest," said the bench. The bench asked the father-son duo to seek bail after the witnesses in the case are examined by the trial court. While dismissing the duo's bail plea, the court also dwelt upon the seriousness of the charges against them.