Azam Khan to remain disqualified from UP Assembly

New Delhi, Nov 10: A Rampur court on Thursday rejected Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's appeal challenging his conviction in a hate-speech case that led to his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

On October 27, the MP-MLA court in Rampur convicted Khan in the hate-speech case and sent him to three years in jail.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Rampur court to hear and dispose of Khan's application for a stay on his conviction. The apex court was also critical of the speed with which Khan's disqualification proceedings were done by the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

The MP-MLA court on Thursday heard the arguments of Khan's lawyers and government advocates and reserved its order, a lawyer present at the hearing said.

Khan's lawyers questioned the veracity of the CD, which was presented as evidence in the 2019 case, and sought to annul the conviction order.

The prosecution argued that Khan never denied that it was his speech and claimed that he was an MP at that time and should have been responsible while making the speech.

After hearing the argument from both sides, the court said it would pronounce its verdict after 4 pm.