ED provisionally attaches Jauhar University assets worth Rs 1,170 crore

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached land and buildings belonging to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, in a money-laundering investigation, valuing the properties at about Rs 1,170 crore, the agency said. The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and concerns the university, which is owned and managed by the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. The trust was founded and is controlled by Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan, who is also the university’s honorary chancellor. The ED says Rs 426.46 crore represents alleged proceeds of crime linked to the campus. It said only Rs 72.63 crore of construction expenditure could be explained through legitimate sources. The agency’s allegations remain subject to legal proceedings, and the attachment is provisional. Among the agency’s claims is that a company awarded about Rs 186 crore in Public Works Department contracts used 30% to 40% of the contract value to buy construction materials for the university. The ED attributes that account to the company’s managing director, who allegedly made the statement to investigators. The agency also says Rs...