In a major relief for senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammad Azam Khan, the Allahabad High Court on September 18, 2025, granted him bail in the Rampur Quality Bar land grab case. The single bench of Justice Sameer Jain delivered the verdict in Khan’s favor, following arguments reserved on August 21 after hearings. This decision marks Khan’s third legal relief in just one week, paving the way for his potential release from jail after nearly 23 months behind bars.
The case, registered in 2019 at Rampur’s Civil Lines police station, involves allegations of illegal occupation of land belonging to the popular Quality Bar hotel on the highway in Said Nagar Hardoi Patti. An FIR was initially filed against Khan’s close aide Syed Jafar Ali Jafri, his wife Tanzeen Fatima, and son Abdullah Azam by Revenue Inspector Angraj Singh. Khan was not named in the original FIR but was added as an accused during a reinvestigation five years later. Prosecutors claimed Khan and others encroached upon the property, leading to charges under sections for criminal trespass, cheating, and forgery.
Khan’s bail plea had been rejected by the Rampur MP-MLA court on May 17, 2025, prompting him to approach the High Court. His counsel, Imran Ulla, argued undue delay in the FIR and lack of direct evidence, while the prosecution maintained sufficient material to implicate him. Justice Jain, after considering submissions, ruled in favor of bail, citing procedural lapses and Khan’s prolonged detention.
