india

Updated: Sep 26, 2019 00:36 IST

The Allahabad high court has stayed the arrest of Rampur MP Azam Khan in connection with 27 FIRs registered against him for allegedly grabbing farmers’ land in Rampur.

A bench of justice Manoj Mishra and justice Manju Rani Chauhan passed the order on a petition filed by Azam Khan, a senior Samajwadi Party leader.

The court also issued notices to actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada and several farmers, asking them to file their reply in the case by the next date of hearing on October 24.

In the petition, it was alleged that FIRs registered against him were politically motivated and at the instance of Jaya Prada, who had contested the Lok Sabha election against Khan unsuccessfully in April-May. Further, no land was taken from any owner against his will, the petition said.

The petitioner contended that all the land was purchased for Maulana Jauhar Ali University after paying an adequate price no one was forced to part with his land.

The state government’s contention was that all the FIRs were lodged by the farmers/ landowners and the government had no role in it.

After hearing the contentions of the parties concerned, the high court directed the police authorities to not arrest Azam Khan till the next date of hearing.

Arrest warrants and court summons have been issued against the SP MP, declared a land mafia by the state government, in several other cases. He has 82 FIRs registered against him.