ED to challenge interim bail granted to Al Falah chairman

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to challenge the interim bail granted by a local court to Al Falah University group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, stating he can influence the probe as “more aspects” of the case are still under investigation, officials said.

A court in Delhi granted two-week interim bail to Siddiqui, 61, on Saturday in a money laundering case linked to the alleged generation of illicit funds, from the fees paid by students of his Faridabad-based educational institution, by allegedly misrepresenting the accreditation and recognition of his colleges.

He was arrested by the ED in November 2025 and is lodged in jail under judicial custody. The money laundering case against Siddiqui and the varsity stems from two Delhi Police FIRs pertaining to alleged fraud with the students.

Siddiqui had applied for the interim bail in order to support and take care of his wife, who is suffering from stage 4 cancer and is slated to undergo a chemotherapy session scheduled on March 12. ED officials told media that the agency will challenge the local court’s order before the Delhi High Court soon, stating that its submissions made before the local court, in order to prevent the grant of interim bail to Siddiqui, were “not considered seriously” and that there was another FIR filed against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) linked to the Red Fort area blast of November 10 last year.

It is also expected to inform the HC about the charges made against him in the ED chargesheet that three doctors, two arrested by the NIA and the third an alleged suicide bomber of the Red Fort area blast, apart from other specialists, were appointed to the Al Falah medical college without any police verification or scrutiny. It has said these hirings happened at the varsity, which is “controlled” by Siddiqui.

The agency is expected to reiterate its arguments before the HC, which were made before the local court while seeking to stop his interim bail, that he had “substantial financial capacity and shall influence the investigation.”

The ED told the Delhi court that he should not be granted the relief as there are “more aspects” of the investigation which are “still pending” and he may “tamper” with witnesses and influence stakeholders connected with the case.

Officials said they would inform the high court that Siddiqui’s wife has been undergoing cancer treatment for the last few years and when she appeared before the agency for recording her statement, she had no accompanying caregiver, underlining their argument that she is “stable” and does not require her husband’s support.

The Delhi court recorded in its order that his three children based in the UAE could not come to tend to their mother due to their ongoing exams and the war in the Middle East.

ED officials say they have studied the travel history of the three children, which shows they rarely came to India and whenever they did, they stayed for a “very short” duration.

Two of the children were also summoned by the agency for questioning but they did not appear, the officials said.

Siddiqui’s lawyers argued that he has always cooperated with the agency during this probe and that a chargesheet has also been filed against him in January and hence should be granted the relief.

Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan said in her order granting relief to Siddiqui that “interim bail on medical grounds, is a legal concept that allows a prisoner to be released from jail on medical grounds of his family members, particularly in the case of his wife.”

She imposed certain conditions on Siddiqui like surrendering his passport to the investigating officer of the case and not “threaten” the complainants and witnesses of the case.

The ED has alleged that Al Falah University generated Rs 415.10 crore between 2018 and 2025 and that funds collected from students were diverted for personal use. The varsity had come under scrutiny following a ‘white-collar terror’ probe in which two doctors linked to it were arrested, while another doctor, Umar-un-Nabi, associated with its hospital, was identified as the suicide bomber in the Red Fort area bomb blast that killed 15 people.