MEERUT, Dec. 6 -- The special MP/MLA court in Rampur on Friday held Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohammad Azam Khan's son, Abdullah Azam Khan, guilty in the 2019 fake passport case and sentenced him to seven years in prison -- his third major conviction linked to the alleged falsification of birth-related documents. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.50,000. Abdullah, currently lodged in Rampur jail, appeared for the proceedings through video conferencing, and the court announced the sentence just an hour after convicting him. This conviction adds to Abdullah's growing list of legal setbacks. Eighteen days ago, both Azam Khan and Abdullah were sentenced to seven years each in a fake PAN card case. The father-son duo has been in Rampur jail since November 17. Earlier in 2023, the entire family -- Azam Khan, his wife Tazeen Fatima, and Abdullah -- was sentenced to seven years in a birth certificate forgery case. Azam, who had walked out on bail on September 23 after spending 23 months in jail, was sent back behind bars merely 55 days later following another conviction. According to additional district government counsel (ADGC) Sandeep Saxena, the case involved multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery with intent to cheat), and 471 (using a forged document). The court held that Abdullah obtained and used multiple passports based on forged documents, thereby committing "repeated acts of fraud". The time he has already spent in custody will be counted towards the newly awarded sentence, the ADGC said. Abdullah's counsel, advocate Nasir Sultan, said the verdict will be challenged in a higher court. htc...