A court in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district on Saturday increased the prison sentence of Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan from seven years to ten years in the double PAN card use case. The order was passed by Additional District and Sessions Judge Vijay Kumar while hearing an appeal filed by the prosecution seeking enhancement of punishment awarded earlier by the MP-MLA magistrate court.
Court's Decision on Azam Khan and His Son
The court, however, retained the seven-year jail term awarded to his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, while increasing the fine imposed on him. Earlier in November 2025, the MP-MLA magistrate court of Shobhit Bansal convicted both Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam in connection with the use of two PAN cards. The court sentenced both to seven years' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
Details of the Enhanced Punishment
Assistant district government counsel Seema Singh Rana said the sessions court enhanced Azam Khan's punishment under various sections and increased the fine imposed on him to Rs 5 lakh. She further stated that Abdullah Azam Khan's seven-year sentence was maintained, but the fine imposed on him was raised to Rs 3.5 lakh.
Background of the Case
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to December 2019, when BJP MLA Akash Saxena filed a complaint alleging irregularities related to the possession and use of two PAN cards. The matter remained pending before the Rampur MP-MLA court for several years before the trial court delivered its order. Rana added that appeals filed by the accused challenging their conviction were already dismissed by the sessions court on April 20. Following the dismissal of the appeals, the prosecution moved an application seeking enhancement of the sentence, after which the court delivered its verdict on Saturday.
Reaction to the Verdict
Reacting to the order, MLA Akash Saxena described the judgment as 'historic' and said the prosecution challenged the original sentence on the grounds that it was too lenient. 'This is a historic verdict. We challenged the original punishment on the grounds that it was too lenient, and the court listened to our plea. I am fully confident that in the times to come, truth alone shall prevail,' he said, claiming that it was the first such ruling in the country where a sentence was enhanced after conviction.
