Section 144 imposed in Sitapur ahead of Azam Khan’s release, supporters block Jail Road
Sitapur (The Uttam Hindu): The wait for the release of senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former cabinet minister Azam Khan is about to end. Khan, who has been in Sitapur jail for nearly 23 months will be released on Tuesday. Ahead of his release, the Sitapur administration has made tight security arrangements outside the jail.
The district administration has imposed Section 144 in Sitapur city and police are announcing this through loudspeakers. No gatherings are permitted near the jail. Furthermore, drones are being used to monitor visitors to and from the jail.
Additionally, a large crowd of supporters caused a traffic jam on Jail Road, which the police cleared. They also issued challans to vehicles parked along the road and removed people from the scene who were moving unnecessarily.
Speaking to the media, CO City Vinayak Bhosale said, "The roads in Sitapur city are narrow and already crowded due to Navratri. No one is allowed to stop without reason. Action is being taken under Section 144 and crowds are being removed from the streets. We appeal to everyone to cooperate with the police."
Azam was expected to come out of 23 months of imprisonment after getting bail from Allahabad High Court but the release process has been stalled due to a mistake in his address in the bail bond.
According to the jail administration, Azam Khan's address was entered incorrectly when filling out the bail bond. A complete and correct address is mandatory in the bail bond for any prisoner's release. If there is any error or discrepancy in the address, the entire process is halted. Now, the release process will resume only after the new documents are corrected.
Azam Khan, who was entangled in legal complications for a long time, may have already got bail in many cases, but due to delay in the process, he was not able to come out of jail.