Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate launched searches on Wednesday at properties connected to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and the university run by it, both tied to imprisoned Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, as part of a money laundering probe, according to officials, PTI reported.
Around 10 locations across Rampur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi’s Jamia Nagar area, were being searched with a CRPF security contingent in place, officials said.
The federal agency had earlier registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), prompting the latest action. Among the premises being searched are those of a chartered accountant in Saharanpur, two firms and their promoters, all linked to the trust, officials added.
The investigation centres on allegations that money from government contracts was siphoned off through private contractors and then channelled into creating assets for the trust and the university, ED officials said.
Headquartered in Lucknow, the trust lists Khan, a former state cabinet minister, as its principal trustee, along with some relatives and associates. It operates the Muhammad Ali Jauhar University, set up in 2006, and a public school in Rampur district.
The university recently drew attention after the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) in July ordered the varsity to demolish 38 of its 40 buildings, claiming they were built without approved plans under the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.
Fearing that the demolition would derail their coursework and exams, students of the university swiftly organised protests against the plan.
The pressure yielded a quick reprieve: the divisional commissioner stayed the demolition order and instructed authorities to hold off on any action until further directives, granting the institution temporary relief in its long-running battle with the administration.
The Samajwadi Party, along with other opposition parties, condemned the move against the university, terming it a case of political vendetta, and called on the administration to scrutinise all legal dimensions before taking any step.