Recently, the Supreme Court granted bail to Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, along with his son, Mohammed Abdullah Azam Khan, in connection with a case of machine theft.

"Taking into considering the period of incarceration undergone by the appellants, and that the chargesheet has already been filed, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order and grant bail to the appellants. Accordingly, the appellants are granted bail, subject to the terms and conditions which are to the satisfaction of the Trial Court, " the court said.

A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal granted bail to former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan and his son, Mohammed Abdullah Azam Khan, while hearing their plea challenging the Allahabad High Court’s decision to deny them bail in a case of machine theft.

The Supreme Court directed the father-son duo to cooperate with the trial proceedings until their conclusion and strictly prohibited any attempt to influence or tamper with witnesses. Additionally, the court granted the State of Uttar Pradesh the liberty to seek bail cancellation if the imposed conditions were violated.

The case originated from a criminal complaint registered at Kotwali Police Station in Rampur against Azam Khan, his son, and several others. The charges were filed under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), along with Sections 2/3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

The allegations claimed that the accused had stolen a road-cleaning machine purchased by the Nagar Palika Parishad, Rampur. Following a change in government, an investigation was launched, leading to the recovery of the machine from Jauhar University, where Azam Khan was serving as the chancellor at the time.

On December 16, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, seeking its response to the plea filed by Azam Khan and his son against the Allahabad High Court's order denying them bail.