ED Arrests Azam Khan After He Leaves Rampur Jail

Azam Khan had barely left Rampur jail when Enforcement Directorate officers took him into custody on Saturday. The 78-year-old Samajwadi Party leader had just won bail in a separate case. But the agency arrested him as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to a university he founded. Khan told reporters, “Is this the punishment for being a Muslim?” ^2,3

The arrest followed an Allahabad High Court order on Thursday suspending prison sentences for Khan and his son Abdullah in a case involving alleged possession of two PAN cards. The court granted them bail but did not overturn their convictions. The ED team was waiting at the jail. Officials said it would seek Khan’s custody for questioning in a special court in Ghaziabad under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. ^2,4

The Ghaziabad case centers on Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which Khan founded and runs. The ED says it is tracing the alleged movement of government funds through contractors into the trust and university. It has seized campus land and buildings, putting their market value at about ₹1,170 crore. The agency says ₹426.46 crore in assets are alleged proceeds of crime. These are allegations, not findings of guilt. ^6,8

The allegations have put the university and Khan’s political future under closer scrutiny. His arrest comes ahead of Uttar Pradesh’s assembly election next year. Khan has been a prominent Samajwadi Party figure and was elected to represent Rampur 10 times. His claim that he is targeted for being Muslim is his own; the ED’s case concerns alleged financial wrongdoing. The next step is his court appearance on Sunday, when the agency will ask to question him in custody. ^3,5