Jauhar University Attachment: ED provisionally attaches land and buildings worth ₹426.46 crore in a money-laundering case involving Azam Khan and the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust.
Qalam Times News Network
Rampur, 29 October 2026
Jauhar University Attachment: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached land and buildings belonging to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, valued at ₹426.46 crore, in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving former Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammad Azam Khan, the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and other accused. The action, announced on Wednesday, 28 October, marks another significant development in the series of legal proceedings surrounding the university, which was established under the trust associated with Azam Khan.
The Jauhar University Attachment has also renewed debate over the institution’s future, the enforcement of financial regulations and the treatment of minority-run educational establishments. While the ED maintains that its action forms part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities and land-related offences, opposition figures, community representatives and students have reportedly criticised the proceedings, describing them as politically motivated and alleging that the university is being unfairly targeted because of its minority character. Such allegations about political motives remain contested and should be distinguished from the agency’s stated grounds for action.
According to the ED, the properties covered by the provisional attachment are situated within the university campus at Jauhar Nagar, Village Singhankhera, in Rampur district. The campus is held by the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which the agency says was founded and is controlled by Azam Khan, who also serves as the university’s honorary Chancellor.
The agency has stated that the properties are currently valued at approximately ₹1,170 crore, while the value of the land and buildings provisionally attached in the present action has been assessed at ₹426.46 crore. These figures refer to different valuations cited by the agency and should not be treated as interchangeable.
The proceedings have been initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. A provisional attachment is a legal measure intended to restrict dealings with specified property while proceedings continue; it does not, by itself, amount to a final determination of criminal liability.
Jauhar University : ED Cites Alleged Land Acquisition Irregularities and Diversion of Public Funds
The ED said its investigation under the PMLA began on the basis of 26 first information reports (FIRs) registered at police stations in Azeem Nagar, Rampur. These cases allegedly involved the forcible acquisition or takeover of agricultural land belonging to farmers for the establishment of the university.
The agency has also alleged that 45 plots classified as enemy property, covering approximately 34 acres in Singhankhera, were unlawfully occupied for the university. According to the ED, this allegedly occurred despite the cancellation of the trust’s lease by the Custodian of Enemy Property.
The agency further stated that the land in question has since been recovered by the Custodian of Enemy Property under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with assistance from the Rampur district administration. The precise circumstances and legal basis of the recovery remain matters to be assessed through the relevant official records and proceedings.
In addition to the land-related allegations, the ED has raised concerns about the alleged use of public funds for work carried out on the university’s privately held campus. According to the agency, money intended for public works was diverted towards the institution, while government-funded projects were executed within the university premises.
The ED has also alleged that contractors who received government work contracts subsequently channelled funds back to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust in the form of donations. The agency is examining these alleged financial flows as part of its wider investigation into the trust and the university.
These allegations form the basis of the agency’s stated concerns about the possible misuse of public funds and the movement of money through the trust. However, the allegations should not be treated as proven offences unless established through the relevant judicial process.
The ED said it shared information gathered during its investigation with the Uttar Pradesh Police under Section 66(2) of the PMLA. Following this, FIR No. 0224/2026 was registered at Azeem Nagar police station on 13 October 2026 against Azam Khan, the trust and others.
The case invokes Sections 61, 316(5) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, according to the information provided by the agency. The inclusion of these provisions indicates the nature of the allegations being investigated; it does not, in itself, establish the guilt of the accused.
The ED has also taken cognisance of 28 other FIRs registered by Rampur Police against Azam Khan and other individuals. The agency stated that charge sheets had already been filed in most of those cases, adding another layer to the legal proceedings involving the former minister and the institution associated with him.
The latest attachment follows earlier disputes over the university campus, including a demolition-related controversy. According to the account provided, an earlier order directing the demolition of campus buildings faced public opposition and legal challenges, which prevented the proposed action from proceeding as intended. The details and legal status of those proceedings would need to be verified independently.
The developments have placed the university at the centre of a wider debate involving alleged financial misconduct, land ownership, institutional autonomy and the rights of minority-run educational establishments. Critics of the action have questioned whether the proceedings are being pursued fairly, while the ED has presented the attachment as part of its investigation into suspected violations of the law.
For the university, its students and those associated with its administration, the immediate concern is the legal and practical impact of the attachment on the institution’s property and operations. The eventual outcome will depend on the evidence, the applicable legal provisions and decisions taken by the competent authorities and courts.
The ED’s action remains provisional and subject to the procedures prescribed under the PMLA. The allegations concerning land acquisition, public funds and financial transactions will require examination through the appropriate legal process. Until the relevant issues are adjudicated, the attachment should not be equated with a final finding of guilt against Azam Khan, the trust or any other accused.
