The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached the land and buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, on October 13, 2026, valuing the seized assets at ₹1,170 crore after a PMLA investigation uncovered illegal land acquisition and diversion of public funds.
The ED said the probe began following 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station, which alleged that agricultural land owned by local farmers was forcefully taken for the university. It also cited an inquiry by the Rampur district administration that identified 45 plots of "enemy property"—crops left by migrants to Pakistan—measured at roughly 34 acres in Singhankhera village, and illegally occupied by the university despite the trust’s lease cancellation.
In addition to land theft, investigators uncovered allegations that in 2016 houses belonging to tenants of Waqf properties in Rampur city were bulldozed under orders allegedly issued by Azam Khan. The occupants were reportedly assaulted, extorted, and robbed of cash, jewellery and cattle, with debris from the demolished houses allegedly transported to the university campus.
The ED further revealed that money earmarked for public works was diverted to the university. Contracts worth ₹186 crore from the Public Works Department were allegedly funneled into construction materials for the campus, while works worth ₹6.60 crore using MLA/MLC local area development funds were carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam under Azam Khan’s leadership.
The trust’s registration under the Income Tax Act was revoked, and a PMLA trial is now underway. If the court finds sufficient evidence, Azam Khan and other accused officials could face imprisonment and the university may lose control of the assets.