Probe Agency ED Attaches Jauhar University's Assets Worth Rs 1,170 Crore In Azam Khan Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached land and buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, originally valued at Rs 426.46 crore, with an estimated current market value of Rs 1,170 crore, in a money laundering case against the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, former Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammad Azam Khan and others.

The attachment has been made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following an investigation into allegations of illegal land acquisition, diversion of government funds and the use of public resources for the construction of the private university.

According to the ED, the investigation began following 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station in Rampur, alleging that agricultural land belonging to farmers was forcibly taken over for the university. An inquiry by the Rampur district administration also alleged that 45 plots of 'enemy property' (refers to assets left behind by those who migrated to Pakistan), measuring approximately 34 acres in Singhankhera village, had been illegally occupied for the university despite the cancellation of the trust's lease. The land has since been taken back by the Custodian of Enemy Property under the Ministry of Home Affairs through the district administration.

The university campus, located in Jauhar Nagar, Singhankhera village, is held by the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, founded and controlled by Azam Khan, who is also the university's honorary chancellor.

The ED said its investigation revealed the alleged diversion of funds allocated for public works to the university, the execution of government-funded works on its private campus, and the alleged routing of money received by contractors for government projects back to the trust as donations.

Based on information shared by the ED under Section 66(2) of the PMLA, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR on October 13, 2026. The agency has also taken up 28 other FIRs registered by the Rampur Police against Azam Khan and others for investigation, most of which have resulted in the filing of chargesheets.

These cases include allegations that, in 2016, houses belonging to several families in Rampur city, many of whom were tenants of Waqf properties, were demolished using bulldozers by a mob allegedly led by the then Circle Officer and others on Azam Khan's instructions. The occupants were allegedly assaulted, threatened with false criminal cases and robbed of cash, jewellery and cattle. According to the ED, debris from the demolished houses was transported to the university campus.

The FIRs and chargesheets also allege that cleaning machinery purchased for the Rampur Nagar Palika (municipality) was diverted to the university premises.

'Diversion Of Funds'

The ED said its investigation uncovered the alleged diversion of money and construction materials from government contracts towards the construction of the university by contractors, primarily based in Rampur. The managing director of a company that received Public Works Department (PWD) contracts worth approximately Rs 186 crore allegedly told investigators that 30-40 per cent of the contract value was used to purchase construction materials for the university. Partners of another firm allegedly told investigators that they operated under Azam Khan's influence. The firm donated Rs 40 lakh to the trust, according to the agency.

The ED also found that works worth Rs 6.60 crore were carried out on the university's private campus using MLA/MLC local area development funds. These works were executed by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, which was headed by Azam Khan at the time.

The trust also received donations totalling Rs 6.24 crore from two educational entities based in Meerut, allegedly through political influence, the agency said.

The Income Tax Department has also revoked the trust's registration under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961, following similar findings, according to the ED.

'Public Assets On Private Campus'

The investigation further said the Uttar Pradesh government sanctioned Rs 23.41 crore for the construction of a pandal, an OBC boys' hostel and a hospital block on the university's private campus.

A government order issued in 2015, when SP's Akhilesh Yadav was the chief minister, had sanctioned Rs 12.16 crore for the pandal, stipulating that ownership would remain with the state Culture Department. The structure could not be sold or transferred and was to be made available free of cost for government use. However, a subsequent order in 2016 allegedly altered these conditions, transferring ownership of the pandal to Jauhar University and removing the provision requiring it to be made available for government use. The ED said this effectively converted a public asset constructed using state funds into the private property of the university.

Azam Khan was a Cabinet Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government when the orders were issued in 2015 and 2016, holding the Urban Development portfolio.

'Unexplained Assets'

According to the ED, an independent valuation by the District Valuation Officer, on November 10, 2023, assessed the construction cost of 59 buildings on the university campus at Rs 494.46 crore. The land, acquired through 114 sale deeds, was valued at Rs 4.63 crore, taking the total cost of the campus to Rs 499.09 crore. However, the trust had declared capital expenditure of only Rs 78.32 crore in its tax returns. Of this, donations worth Rs 12.29 crore were found to be non-genuine, according to the ED, leaving Rs 66.03 crore as expenditure considered genuine by the agency.

The ED said only Rs 72.63 crore of the university's total cost could be explained through legitimate sources. The remaining Rs 426.46 crore was identified by the agency as alleged proceeds of crime generated through illegitimate means. The agency said the trust's office-bearers could not substantiate the source of these funds. It subsequently provisionally attached the university's land and buildings to the extent of Rs 426.46 crore, with an estimated current market value of approximately Rs 1,170 crore.

Earlier, on August 19, 2026, the ED had conducted searches at the university and related premises in connection with the case. Electronic devices and records allegedly containing incriminating material were seized during the searches.