Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 23 : Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohammad Azam Khan was released from Sitapur jail on Tuesday after remaining behind bars for nearly 23 months.

Azam Khan's release from Sitapur jail was earlier delayed by a few hours. He was to be released at 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday; however, he forgot to pay the fine of Rs 8,000 in two cases.

His lawyer, Sadnam Singh, paid the fine in court, after which the verification was carried out. Following this, he was released.

Speaking to reporters, Sadnam said, "The fine imposed on Azam Khan has now been cleared. I took the receipt of the fine inside and met the jailer."

In view of his release, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been enforced in Sitapur city. Police are making announcements through loudspeakers, warning people against assembling near the jail premises.

Despite the restrictions, the number of SP workers, leaders, and supporters waiting outside the jail has grown. Authorities have been dispersing the crowd, and several vehicles in the area have been fined.

Sitapur Circle Officer Vinayak Bhosle, speaking to reporters, said, "Everyone knows that the roads in the city are narrow and due to Navratri, there is a lot of crowd on the streets. No one is allowed to stand without reason here. Section 144 is in force, under which we are taking action. The crowd is being removed from the roads."

Preparations to welcome Azam Khan were also being made by SP district president Chhatrapal Singh Yadav.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "We have come to welcome him. He is our leader. His arrival will strengthen the party even more."

SP MLA Anil Kumar Verma, who also reached Sitapur to welcome the senior leader, added, "After a long time, the legal proceedings have concluded. We thank the court for this."

Azam Khan was granted bail on September 18 by the Allahabad High Court in the Quality Bar land grab case. The FIR in the matter was lodged at the Civil Lines police station in Rampur, following which Khan moved the High Court seeking bail.

On September 10, the Allahabad High Court had also granted him bail in another case linked to the alleged forced eviction of residents from Rampur's Dungarpur colony.

Prior to that, Khan was acquitted by a special MP-MLA court in a 17-year-old case involving allegations of road blockade and damage to public property.

Over the years, as many as 16 FIRs have been filed against Azam Khan covering a wide range of criminal charges.

/IANS