The Supreme Court has granted bail to Azam Khan, a former minister from Uttar Pradesh, and his son Abdullah Azam Khan, in connection with a machine theft case. The decision overturns a previous ruling by the Allahabad High Court which had denied their bail requests.
Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal presided over the matter, considering the duration of incarceration already served by the accused and the fact that the chargesheet had been filed. “Taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order and grant bail to the appellants,” the bench stated in their February 10 order.
The Supreme Court has directed the trial court to ensure that the Khans adhere to certain conditions as part of their bail. These include cooperating with the trial proceedings until their conclusion and refraining from any attempts to influence or win over witnesses. The trial court is also empowered to proceed with the trial irrespective of the conduct of the parties involved.
The case against Azam Khan, his son, and five others was lodged in 2022, with allegations stemming from the theft of a road-cleaning machine owned by the Nagar Palika Parishad of Rampur district. The machine was later found at Jauhar University in Rampur, an institution associated with Khan.
The FIR, which initiated the legal proceedings, was filed by Wakar Ali Khan at Kotwali, Rampur in 2022, claiming that in 2014, the accused had stolen the government-owned road cleaning machine.
