Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Wednesday that it has attached the land and buildings of ‘Mohammad Ali Jauhar University’—located in the Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh and owned by former minister and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan—under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The central investigative agency has alleged that government funds, originally earmarked for public works, were diverted for the construction of this private university.
The current market value of the university’s assets is estimated at approximately Rs 1,170 crore.
The ED alleges that 78-year-old Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan—who is currently incarcerated—orchestrated these irregularities by leveraging his influence during his tenure as the Minister for Urban Development and the minister in charge of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam.
The university and its premises belong to the ‘Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust,’ established by Azam Khan. The Trust remains under his control, and he serves as the honorary Chancellor of the university. Government grants, construction materials, and other public resources have been illegally utilized for the development of the university. The ED has stated that it has not been possible to provide accounts showing that the majority of the funds for the campus construction came from legitimate sources.