Enforcement Directorate registers PMLA case against Azam Khan

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In mounting trouble for Azam Khan, the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday registered a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the Samajwadi Party leader.

Azam Khan has been under the ED lens for some time now due to his alleged involvement in several land-grabbing instances. Last week, ED had sought details of all land-grabbing cases in which the Rampur MP has been named. There are a total of 26 FIRs against the politician with Ajay Pal Sharma, SP Rampur, stating that the latest round of three FIRs were filed on the complaints made by farmers who have accused Azam Khan of threatening them and trying to grab their land through illegal means.

ED's decision to register a case under PMLA - an act used to prevent money-laundering, would be yet another setback for the veteran but a highly controversial politician. Slammed as much for his sexist comments inside Parliament as for charges of land-grabbing against him, Azam Khan has invited brickbats by the dozen. His son, Abdullah, too has been in the news for wrong reasons after he allegedly tried to obstruct an investigation into charges of stealing books from Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. He was detained on Wednesday, released later in the day, and then arrested on Thursday - this time for violating Section 144 imposed in Rampur.