Azam Khan Sent to 14-Day Judicial Custody in Jauhar University Money Laundering Case

A special MP-MLA court in Ghaziabad on Sunday, 1 November, sent Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan to 14 days of judicial custody, until 13 November, in the money laundering case linked to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Khan on Saturday, 31 October, minutes after he walked out of Rampur jail. The Allahabad High Court had suspended his sentence in the dual PAN card case and granted bail. Our earlier report has the details.

The ED’s case

• The case concerns the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. The ED says Khan founded and controls the trust and is the university’s honorary Chancellor.
• The probe stems from 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station, alleging that farmland was forcibly acquired for the university.
• The ED also says about 34 acres of enemy property were occupied for the university after its lease was cancelled. The Custodian of Enemy Property has since taken it back through the district administration.
• The agency has provisionally attached university land and buildings in Rampur valued at ₹426.46 crore. Their current market value is put at about ₹1,170 crore.

The defence

Khan’s lawyer, Danish Ali, said the arrest violated Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. He argued that since the case dates back to 2019, the authorities could have used a B-Warrant while Khan was already in custody. He added that the ED has sought Khan’s custody so it can question him further.

Featured image: Gate of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Rampur. Photo: Shawrix, CC BY-SA 3.0 (source).

Sources

• SP leader Azam Khan sent to 14 days of judicial custody in money laundering case – The Hans India