Samajwadi Party MLA Azam Khan was sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs 2,000 by an Uttar Pradesh court on Thursday in a hate speech case, ANI reported. As a result of the sentence, he will no longer be able to serve as an MLA of the Rampur constituency, Bar and Bench reported.

The case pertains comments made by Khan against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath in 2019. Akash Saxena, an advocate and a Bharatiya Janata Party leader had filed the case alleging that the Samajwadi Party leader was trying to incite violence between Hindus and Muslims, The Times of India reported.

“On my complaint, the returning officer took cognisance of the matter and checking the video footage of the speech, he ordered an FIR against Khan,” Saxena claimed.

Khan had been booked under the Indian Penal Code Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups) and 505(1) (statement conducing to public mischief), along with provisions of the Representative of People Act, 1951, The Times of India reported.

In May, Khan was released from a jail in Sitapur after being in custody for over two years on connection with a land grabbing case. The Supreme Court had given him interim bail in the case where he was accused of illegally acquiring a 13.84-hectare plot in Rampur district for constructing the Mohammed Ali Jauhar University.

Khan currently faces over 90 other charges, including corruption and theft, in various cases.