Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the land and buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, in connection with a money laundering case against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan. The properties have an estimated current market value of Rs 1,170 crore, according to the central agency.

The university is owned by the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, founded and controlled by Khan, who serves as its honorary chancellor. The ED alleges that government funds, construction materials and other public resources were diverted towards the development of the private campus.

According to the agency, the investigation identified Rs 426.46 crore as alleged proceeds of crime. It said only Rs 72.63 crore of the university's construction costs could be explained through legitimate sources. The ED also alleged that donations worth Rs 12.29 crore reported as capital expenditure by the trust were not genuine.

Alleged diversion of government funds

The ED has alleged that government-funded public works were carried out on the university campus and that contractors receiving government projects routed money back to the trust as donations.

The agency cited the alleged statement of a company managing director whose firm received Public Works Department contracts worth approximately Rs 186 crore. According to the ED, the managing director said that 30–40% of the contract value was used to purchase construction materials for the university.

The agency also alleged that another firm operating under Khan's influence donated Rs 40 lakh to the trust. In addition, it identified works worth Rs 6.6 crore on the private campus that were allegedly financed through MLA and MLC local area development funds.

Rs 23.41 crore sanctioned for campus projects

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

The agency highlighted Rs 12.16 crore sanctioned in 2015 for the pandal. According to the ED, the original government order stipulated that ownership would remain with the state's Culture Department and that the structure would be available to the government free of cost.

However, a subsequent order issued in 2016 allegedly transferred ownership of the pandal to the university and removed the condition requiring it to remain available for government use.

Land acquisition allegations

The money laundering investigation originated from 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station in Rampur. These cases alleged that agricultural land belonging to farmers had been forcibly taken over for the university.

The ED also cited an inquiry by the Rampur district administration concerning 45 plots of enemy property, covering approximately 34 acres in Singhankhera village. The report alleged that the land had been illegally occupied by the university despite the cancellation of its lease to the trust.

The agency said the Custodian of Enemy Property, under the Union Home Ministry, subsequently recovered possession of the land through the district administration.

Azam Khan's legal troubles

Azam Khan served as a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government led by Akhilesh Yadav in 2015 and 2016, holding the Urban Development portfolio. The ED said the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, which carried out work on the university campus, operated under his department.

Khan is currently in jail following convictions in multiple criminal cases, including a 10-year sentence in a dual PAN card forgery case and a two-year sentence relating to remarks made during the 2019 election campaign.

The ED said it had shared information about the alleged diversion of government funds with the Uttar Pradesh Police, following which another FIR was registered earlier in October against Khan, the trust and others. The agency has also taken up 28 additional FIRs, with charge sheets filed in most of those cases.