ED searches Azam Khan-linked trust, Jauhar University in UP, Delhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Aug 19 conducted searches at around 10 premises in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi linked to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, his Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, officials said.

The searches were carried out in Rampur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as part of a money laundering investigation registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to officials, the investigation relates to the alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent use for creating assets linked to the trust and the university.

The ED is also examining financial transactions between certain contractors and the trust. Officials said contractors who allegedly benefited from government contracts diverted funds towards the trust and university, including through substantial donations and construction-related works.

The searches are aimed at tracing alleged proceeds of crime and collecting financial records, documents and digital evidence connected with the alleged diversion and utilisation of government funds.

The Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, headquartered in Lucknow, has Azam Khan, a former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister, as its main trustee, along with family members and associates.

The trust runs the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and a public school in Rampur district. The university was established in 2006.

The ED action comes amid ongoing legal and administrative issues involving the university. In July, the Rampur Development Authority directed the university administration to demolish 38 of its 40 buildings, alleging that the structures had been built without approved building plans under the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973.

The latest searches, however, relate to the ED's money laundering investigation into alleged financial transactions involving government contract funds, contractors, the trust and the university.

The agency's searches were underway at the 10 premises on Aug 19.