Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan gets interim bail

Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan got interim bail from the Supreme Court on Thursday and is now set to apply for regular bail before the competent court.

The Supreme court granted Khan bail while exercising its power under Article 142 of the Constitution. Interim bail to continue until the regular bail is decided.

Last week, the Apex Court had directed the UP government to file its response to a plea filed by Khan over the delay in hearing his bail application in a land grabbing case.

A bench headed by L. Nageswara Rao questioned, “What is this? Why not let him go?"

The bench, which also consisted of Justices B.R. Gavai and A.S. Bopanna, told the UP-government counsel that “Khan has been in jail since two years, and in one or two cases it is okay, but it cannot be in 89 cases.”

“Whenever he gets bail, he is again sent to jail in some other matter. You file a reply. We will hear on Tuesday," the bench told the state government counsel.

Justice Gavai further told UP government counsel, “This chain will continue. As and when he is released on bail in one matter, you register a new FIR and continue to keep him behind bars."