The Income-tax department carried out raids at more than 30 premises in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These raids are part of a tax evasion investigation involving Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and individuals associated with him.
The searches were conducted in several locations in Uttar Pradesh, including Rampur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, and Meerut. Some premises in the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh were also targeted.
The income tax probe is related to certain trusts run by Azam Khan and his family members.
Azam Khan has faced multiple legal issues and cases in recent years. As of the information provided, there have been 81 cases registered against him in Rampur on various charges, such as land-grabbing, cheating, and criminal trespass, since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
Azam Khan was also convicted in a hate speech case during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. He received a two-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 2,500 for allegedly making provocative remarks against Yogi Adityanath, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at that time, and IAS officer Aunjaneya Kumar Singh.
The income tax raids targeted various locations, including educational institutions like Regency Public School and Regency Institute of Management and Technology in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, as well as the residence of advocate Mushtaq Ahmed Siddiqui in Lucknow.
These developments indicate ongoing legal and tax-related issues involving Azam Khan and his associates, with authorities taking action to investigate potential tax evasion and other financial irregularities.
CAclubindia
