Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was released from Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district jail on Tuesday after 23 months in custody, The Hindu reported.

He had been convicted in six cases and has now been granted bail in all, his lawyer, Jubair Ahmed Khan, told The Times of India.

Ahead of his release, the Sitapur administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which bars gatherings of more than four persons, in areas around the jail, The Hindu reported.

Despite this, supporters of Azam Khan and SP workers reached the jail in large numbers to welcome him.

The SP leader left for his hometown Rampur after being released.

Azam Khan had previously been released on bail in 2022. However, after a fresh case was registered against him in October 2023, he surrendered before a Rampur court and was sent to Sitapur jail, where he remained until Tuesday.

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, Azam Khan – one of the SP’s most prominent Muslim leaders – has been booked under several charges, including land grabbing, cheating and criminal trespass.

According to police records, Azam Khan faces charges in 111 criminal cases, The Times of India reported. His wife and son have also been booked in several cases.

The SP has alleged that Azam Khan has been framed by the Uttar Pradesh government in false cases, The Hindu reported.

The newspaper quoted SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav as saying that the bail highlighted that the family will ultimately get justice.

“Our party solidly stands behind the Azam Khan family,” Yadav said. “We will legally fight…against the persecution and false cases.”

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