A Rampur court on Tuesday imposed a penalty of nearly ₹3.71 crore on Abdullah Azam Khan, son of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, in a stamp duty evasion case linked to land deals dating back to 2022.

According to officials, Abdullah Azam had purchased land in the Sadar tehsil area and registered four sale deeds by allegedly misrepresenting residential plots as agricultural land — a move that significantly reduced the stamp duty payable. These transactions were classified as benami and led to an estimated evasion of ₹1.78 crore in stamp duty.

Following an investigation by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sadar, three separate cases were filed before the Rampur District Magistrate’s court. Notices were issued to Abdullah in February last year, and after multiple hearings, the DM court delivered its verdict on Tuesday.

“The court found stamp duty evasion in all four sale deeds,” confirmed District Government Counsel Prem Kishor Pandey. He added that one of the properties in Madhiya Nadar Bagh had already attracted a penalty of ₹9.22 lakh in an earlier order, while the remaining three properties in Benjeerpur Ghatampur were covered under Tuesday’s ruling.

Of the three, one property attracted a penalty of ₹1.01 crore, while the other two carried penalties of ₹33.80 lakh each. In total, Abdullah Azam has been directed to pay around ₹3.71 crore, which includes twice the amount of the evaded stamp duty and a monthly interest of 1.5% for delayed payment.

Officials stated that the fraud came to light when the land, initially registered using agricultural land rates, was reassessed using residential property rates — significantly increasing the stamp duty obligations.

Abdullah Azam has been given about a month to respond to the court’s order. Further steps will depend on whether the penalty is paid or legally challenged.