Fresh High Court notice to UP govt in Azam Khan office-of-profit case

LUCKNOW: Allahabad High Court today sought reply from Uttar Pradesh government and Azam Khan over a petition claiming that the Cabinet minister was holding office-of-profit as chancellor of a university.

The Lucknow bench of the court issued notice to the state government and Khan and sought their response within four weeks.

Khan is the Urban Development Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet and is also serving as the Chancellor of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.

The court had in September last year taken cognisance of the issue and had given six-week time to the state government to explain if a Cabinet minister can also serve as chancellor of a university. But due to some reasons, the hearing could not take place.

A division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Rakesh Srivastava today issued the notice on the pending writ petition alleging that despite being a minister, Khan was holding the post of chancellor, which is an office-of-profit and hence against law.

On behalf of the state government, Additional Advocate General Bulbul Godiyal contended that the Azam does not come under the purview of office-of-profit as chancellor.