Azam khan
The ED said its probe was initiated on the basis of 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station in Rampur, including allegations that farmers were coerced into surrendering agricultural land for expansion of the university campus. ED also referred to a district administration inquiry that allegedly found illegal occupation of 45 plots of enemy property in Singhankhera village. The agency shared its findings with Uttar Pradesh Police, following which a fresh FIR was registered at Azeem Nagar police station on Oct 13, 2026, against Azam Khan, the trust and others. The ED has also taken cognisance of 28 additional criminal cases registered against Azam Khan and associates, most of which have already resulted in chargesheets, according to officials. ED claimed that the managing director of a company awarded PWD contracts worth nearly Rs 186 crore admitted that 30-40% of the contract value was spent on purchasing construction material used in the university. Another contracting firm allegedly donated Rs 40 lakh to the trust, while its partners told investigators they were operating under Azam Khan’s influence. Investigators further alleged that public funds worth Rs 6.60 crore from MLA and MLC local area development schemes were spent on works inside the university campus through Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, an organisation that was under Azam Khan’s administrative control when he was UP cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadav govt.
The probe stems from allegations that land for the university was acquired illegally and that public funds and resources were diverted for construction of the institution. ED claimed to have found evidence suggesting diversion of govt funds, use of publicly financed construction works on the private campus and routing of donations through contractors who had obtained state govt contracts.
Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached land and buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur with an estimated current market value of around Rs 1,170 crore as part of its money laundering investigation against the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, SP veteran Azam Khan , and others. The properties attached represent alleged proceeds of crime valued at Rs 426.46 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to the ED. ED said UP govt had sanctioned Rs 23.41 crore for construction of a pandal, OBC boys’ hostel and hospital block on the campus. It alleged that a 2016 govt order modified conditions contained in an earlier 2015 sanction and effectively transferred ownership of a government-funded pandal to the university, converting a publicly funded asset into private property. Construction cost of 59 buildings on the campus was assessed at Rs 494.46 crore, while land acquired through 114 sale deeds was valued at Rs 4.63 crore, taking the total estimated cost of the university complex to Rs 499.09 crore, according to a valuation report. However, the trust declared capital expenditure of only Rs 78.32 crore in its income tax records. After examining donations and other sources of funding, the ED concluded that only Rs 72.63 crore could be explained through legitimate means. The remaining Rs 426.46 crore was identified as alleged proceeds of crime generated through unlawful activities.
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The agency said office-bearers of the trust failed to explain the source of funds used for construction of the campus. The university, spread across a large campus in Jauhar Nagar at Singhankhera village in Rampur, is owned by the trust founded and controlled by Azam Khan, who also serves as its honorary chancellor. Consequently, university land and buildings equivalent to the alleged proceeds of crime have been provisionally attached. Download the TOI App.