Former Uttar Pradesh legislator and Senior Samajwadi Party member Azam Khan was sentenced to two years imprisonment Saturday by a Rampur court in a hate speech case filed during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. Khan has faced significant legal challenges in the past six months, with three convictions, one acquittal and various ongoing cases.

The charges against Khan, in this case, were under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of the People Act, including intent to cause fear or alarm to the public, making false statements in connection with an election, and promoting enmity between classes in connection with an election. This hate speech case led to his disqualification from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly last year.

The political landscape in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP came to power in 2017, has seen a surge of 93 cases registered against Khan in UP, ranging from land-grabbing and cheating to criminal trespass. Khan’s wife and son are also involved in some of these cases and are currently out on bail.

Khan’s legal troubles are not limited to the hate speech case. In February, a Moradabad court sentenced him and his son to two years imprisonment in a case dating back 15 years, where they were accused of blocking traffic after the police stopped their vehicle for inspection. Despite the sentence, both were granted bail.

Moreover, in October 2022, a Rampur court handed Khan a three-year sentence in another hate speech case related to his alleged use of improper language against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and others during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This conviction resulted in his disqualification from the Assembly and a subsequent by-poll victory for the BJP.