Rampur (UP), May 30 : Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Minister Azam Khan was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment along with a penalty of Rs 14 lakh by a special court here on Thursday for vandalising houses in the Dungarpur area, prosecution sources said here.

Prosecution sources said that the second accused, Barkat Ali, who was the contractor, has been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 6 lakh.

The MP MLA Court of the district convicted former cabinet minister Azam Khan last Wednesday and reserved its verdict. The former minister, Azam Khan, was convicted in the Dungarpur case by the court of Special Court (Session Trial) Judge Dr. Vijay Kumar.

The prosecution sources said that the special court sentenced Azam to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of 14 lakh rupees. Also, the second accused, Barkat Ali Thekedar, has been sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and a fine of 6 lakh rupees.

It may be noted that Azam Khan, who is currently lodged in Sitapur jail, appeared through a video conference from the jail itself.

It may be noted that during the then-SP government in 2016, the houses of the people living in Dungarpur Basti were demolished and a government shelter colony was built. In the year 2019, 12 people lodged separate FIRs in Thana Ganj Kotwali.

It was alleged that in the then-SP government, at the behest of Azam Khan, the police and SP workers forcibly vacated their houses. Their belongings were looted, and the houses were demolished. Azam Khan’s name was included by the police during the investigation in these cases.

Barkat Contractor has also been held guilty, along with Azam Khan.

Azam has been acquitted in two of these cases, while in another case he has already been sentenced. District Government Advocate Seema Singh Rana said that today the sentence was pronounced in the case filed by plaintiff Abrar, son of Nanhe Khan. In this, a trial was going on against three people, in which the file of former retired CO Ale Hasan Khan was separated.

UNI