Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday met party General Secretary and founding member Azam Khan at Rampur jail and asserted the veteran leader would continue to remain an important figure in the party.

He alleged that no political family had faced as much injustice as Azam Khan’s family and said the meeting also involved discussions on the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav said, “I am returning after meeting the respected Azam Khan Sahib. Azam was, Azam is, and Azam will remain. No family has faced as much injustice as his family. No political family has faced as much injustice as the family of the respected Azam Khan Sahib.”

Questioning the BJP over the cases against Azam Khan, the SP chief alleged that false cases had been filed against him and that he had spent several years in jail.

“Who is responsible for this injustice? False cases have been filed against him. He has spent so many years in jail. The truth is that the Bharatiya Janata Party has no concern for education or knowledge. It has no interest in education or the universities that shape people’s futures,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav asserted that false cases could not suppress the truth indefinitely.

“False cases do not have the power to keep someone imprisoned forever. It may take time, and there may be some delay, but false cases do not have the power to keep the truth imprisoned,” he said, adding that the Samajwadi Party’s relationship with the people of Rampur went beyond politics and was rooted in an emotional bond.

Referring to his meeting with Azam Khan, Akhilesh Yadav said the party shared a family-like relationship with its supporters in the region. He also remarked that those extending respect should not be taken advantage of.

Asked about the discussions during the meeting, he said they had held a detailed conversation about the upcoming elections.

“We had a lengthy discussion. A list of our alliance partners regarding the elections has been prepared, and I have brought that list with me after discussing it with him,” he said.

The SP chief also criticised those he accused of conspiring against political opponents, saying they would eventually have to answer to society, the country, and the law when the truth emerged.

Taking aim at the BJP over the situation in Rampur, Akhilesh Yadav said the spirit of Ram Rajya had been undermined in the region.

“Rampur is a place with a name associated with Ram, yet the spirit of Ram Rajya is being strangled and destroyed here. Who would know this better than you?” he said.

Reiterating the Samajwadi Party’s political objective, he said the party was determined to defeat the BJP in the 2027 Assembly elections.

“The Samajwadi Party’s goal is clear: to defeat the BJP. Every Samajwadi Party worker is ready to work towards this objective. The BJP leaders will have to face the consequences of their actions. The people of Uttar Pradesh will erase the Bharatiya Janata Party from the state’s political landscape once and for all,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav further accused the BJP of being disconnected from education and knowledge and alleged that its leaders had joined hands with corrupt officials. He also accused them of being involved in vote theft, intensifying his attack on the ruling party ahead of the next Assembly elections.

Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) on Thursday reported a 145 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,364 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, delivering record performance.

According to the company’s exchange filing, total income rose 51 per cent to Rs 10,239 crore in Q2 FY27 from Rs 6,767 crore in Q2 FY26.

Meanwhile, operational revenue grew 51 per cent to Rs 7,167 crore driven by healthy contribution from the transmission and energy solutions platform.

In Q2FY27, EBITDA stood at Rs 3,548 crore, an increase of 67 per cent year-on-year, while operating EBITDA rose 68 per cent to Rs 3,070 crore. This is an all-time high quarterly EBITDA for the company.

In addition, consolidated PAT jumped 137 per cent to Rs 2,600 crore for H1 FY27, while total income rose 46 per cent to Rs 20,092 crore.

Commenting on the earnings, Adani Energy Solutions CEO Kandarp Patel said, “AESL closed the first half of the fiscal year with strong financial and operational momentum, laying a robust foundation for future growth. We significantly expanded our growth pipeline by winning the strategic Vizag and Satara transmission assets, elevating our active order book to around Rs 87,000 crore.”

He said operationally, the Mumbai distribution business grew by about 11 per cent in units sold, while the smart metering platform scaled its installation base to approximately 15 million meters.

“A significant 2.5 GW RTC power supply contract with MSEDCL reinforced AESL’s core competencies in multi-source energy aggregation and power supply optimisation for customers,” Patel said.

“Backed by robust quarter-on-quarter performance across all business segments and strict financial prudence, we are well-positioned to convert this massive project pipeline into long-term stakeholder value,” he added.

Segment-wise, the company’s transmission operating revenue rose 17 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,521 crore in Q2, while distribution (AEML and MUL) revenue grew 2 per cent to Rs 3,181 crore.

Smart metering operating revenue (Ind AS) surged 129 per cent to Rs 267 crore and energy solutions revenue stood at Rs 2,197 crore.

Shares of Adani Energy Solutions ended at Rs 1,293 on the BSE. The Adani Group stock has recorded a 52-week high of Rs 1,789 and a 52-week low of Rs 804.70, according to the exchange data.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde have sought more time to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch for questioning.

Das, Ranka, and Shinde were asked to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch at its office in Rajouri Garden at noon on Thursday. However, they requested more time from the Delhi Police.

The police will now issue fresh summons to them.

This comes a day after Das and Ranka were released from Tihar Jail following a week in judicial custody.

Earlier this week, Delhi Police transferred protest cases against the CJP leaders to the Crime Branch.

The cases are in connection with the incident on October 13, when Das, Ranka and Shinde, along with 11 others, trespassed into Jantar Mantar, which has been de-notified as the designated protesting site.

All were detained by the Delhi Police. While Shinde was released on bail bond, Das and Ranka remained in judicial custody for a week.

The CJP members were protesting against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and raised slogans against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Das and Ranka were released on Wednesday after submitting written undertakings before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM), assuring that they would maintain peace and refrain from calling for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is de-notified in accordance with law.

SEM Ritu Raj directed the release of the two activists after they furnished personal bonds and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each until the conclusion of the inquiry in connection with the Jantar Mantar trespassing case.

In their written undertakings, both activists promised not to commit any breach of peace and expressed full faith in the judiciary and all its instruments, including the SEM court.

The SEM court observed that the immediate measures required under Section 135(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent a breach of peace or disturbance of public tranquillity could be adequately secured through the execution of bonds, supported by the written undertakings.