ED raids Azam Khan-linked trust, university in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided premises linked to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University of jailed Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan as part of a money laundering investigation, officials said.

Around 10 premises in Rampur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi's Jamia Nagar were being searched in the presence of security personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.

The searches followed the registration of a case by the federal agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The premises being searched include those belonging to a chartered accountant in Saharanpur, as well as two companies and their promoters linked to the trust, officials said.

According to the ED, the investigation relates to the alleged diversion of funds from government contracts through private contractors and their subsequent use, including for the creation of assets belonging to the trust and the university.

The Lucknow-headquartered trust has Azam Khan, a former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister, as its main trustee, along with some of his family members and associates.

The trust runs the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, founded in 2006, and a public school in Rampur district.

The university was recently at the centre of a dispute with authorities after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) directed its administration in July to demolish 38 of its 40 buildings. The authority alleged that the buildings had been constructed without approved building plans under the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.

University students subsequently launched a protest against the proposed demolition, citing concerns over disruption to their studies.

The divisional commissioner later stayed the proposed demolition and directed that no administrative action be taken until further orders, providing temporary relief to the institution amid its long-running dispute with authorities.

The Samajwadi Party and other opposition parties have criticised the ED action against the university and alleged political vendetta. They have urged the administration to examine all legal aspects before taking further action.