After raids at more than 30 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh over three days, the Income Tax (IT) Department suspects Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan evaded taxes to the tune of Rs 800 crores, according to a report.
The IT raids in the tax evasion case against Khan began on Wednesday and concluded on Friday.
The raids were conducted at Khan's bastion of Rampur along with Saharanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and at some locations in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Income Tax investigators began their search at Khan's residence on Jail Road in Rampur at 7 am on Wednesday and concluded their operation on Friday evening, reported PTI.
After the officials left his residence around 7 pm on Friday, PTI reported Khana as saying, "It was a raid of I-T department. They stayed here for three days. They conducted searches and asked questions."
"On September 13, the Income Tax department conducted raids at more than 30 premises in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as part of a tax evasion probe against Mr Khan...In Ghaziabad, the Income Tax department raided a residence in Rajnagar Colony on Wednesday. The house belongs to Ekta Kaushik, said to be close to Azam Khan's family," reported PTI.
The Income Tax department invsetigation revolves around certain trusts operated by Khan and his family members, said sources to PTI.
The scope of the investigation by the Income Tax department has expanded, with their teams also reaching the Public Works Department and the district panchayat office in addition to Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, which is headed by Khan, according to the report.
As the IT investigation continues, the Samajwadi Party pledged its support to Khan and accused the BJP government of engaging in "dictatorship" and "misusing central agencies."
"Azam Khan saheb is the voice of truth. He laid the foundation for a better future for children and built a university for education...Khan has always fought against communal forces. We all stand united with his voice," said SP, as per PTI.
Khan is a senior SP leader who exerted huge clout during Akhilesh Yadav's chief ministership (2012-17). Since leaving office, he has found himself involved in dozens of cases of corruption, irregularities, and hate speech. The Indian Express reports that there are a total of 81 cases against Khan.
"His woes began soon after the BJP swept to power in UP and formed its government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2017. As many as 81 cases have since been registered against the SP stalwart in Rampur on several charges including land grabbing, cheating, criminal trespass and hate speech," reported The Express, adding that his wife and ex-MP Tanzeen Fatima and their son and former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan have also been booked in at least 40 cases.
Last year, Khan was convicted in a hate speech case stemming from remarks he made during a public gathering in Khatanagaria village within the Milak Kotwali area back in 2019. He received a three-year prison sentence as a result of this conviction, which led to his disqualification as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Rampur. He is currently out on bail.
