Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 11 (NationPress) Former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan received significant relief on Tuesday when a Rampur court acquitted him in the 2019 inflammatory speech case, citing insufficient evidence and ordering actions against the investigating officer.

The case was initiated by then SDM (Sadar) P.P. Tiwari during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, accusing Khan of delivering a provocative speech at an election rally in Khatanagariya village, under the jurisdiction of the Milak police station.

He was charged with making derogatory remarks about then District Magistrate Anjaneya Kumar Singh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Congress candidate Sanjay Kapoor. Additionally, he was accused of labeling the Election Commission as “corrupt.”

The prosecution argued that his statements aimed to polarize the electorate; however, the court determined that there was no compelling evidence to substantiate these claims.

After listening to the final arguments from both sides last week, the MP-MLA Magistrate Court concluded on Tuesday that the prosecution failed to prove its case and indicated that the earlier ruling by the lower court was made “without adequately understanding the context of the statements or reviewing the evidence.”

The court also highlighted that some prosecution witnesses had provided testimony under duress and observed that the conduct of the investigating officer necessitated action.

In October 2022, a lower court had convicted Khan in the same case, sentencing him to three years in prison, which led to his disqualification from the Assembly.

This resulted in a by-election for the Rampur Sadar seat, which was secured by the BJP's Akash Saxena.

With his acquittal on Tuesday, Khan's appeal effectively nullifies the prior judgment.

After the ruling, Azam Khan remarked, “It is uncommon for an innocent individual to be exonerated, considering the police's approach to the case. They made every effort to obscure the truth. This verdict demonstrates that justice can triumph even in the face of conspiracy and malice.”

His attorney, Advocate Zuair Ahmed, proclaimed the ruling as “a victory for justice,” asserting that Khan’s speech constituted part of an electoral discourse, rather than hate speech.

Nonetheless, despite the acquittal, Azam Khan is still prohibited from contesting elections at this time due to several other ongoing legal cases against him.