ED Arrests Azam Khan In Alleged Money Laundering Case After Bail Release

Azam Khan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case shortly after being released on bail, leaving him back in custody after spending about 11 months in jail. His son, Abdullah Azam, who had also been granted bail, went home.

The arrest followed relief from the Allahabad High Court in a case involving two PAN cards. The court had stayed the 10-year sentences handed to Azam Khan and Abdullah Azam and granted them bail, clearing the way for both to be released.

A large number of supporters had gathered outside the jail to await their leader. News that Azam Khan would be released after about 11 months had brought cheer among them. But the ED’s action soon after his release changed the course of events: while the bail order allowed him to leave jail in the PAN card case, the agency arrested him in a separate matter.

The ED investigation concerns alleged money laundering linked to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The agency alleges that government funds were misused in the university’s construction and that discrepancies were found in the accounting of expenditure. These remain allegations under investigation, not findings established by a court.

The agency has stepped up its investigation into Azam Khan and people associated with him in connection with the university case.

According to the available information, the ED has also attached land and buildings belonging to Jauhar University. The agency puts the current market value of these properties at about 1,170 crore rupees. The allegations surrounding the properties and the alleged misuse of funds remain subject to a final decision by the court.

Azam Khan is now to be produced before the special PMLA court in Ghaziabad, where the ED will seek his remand. The bail granted in the two-PAN-card case has therefore not brought an end to his time in custody, with the separate ED proceedings now determining the next stage of his legal battle.

A remark attributed to Khan, “मुसलमान होना”, was also reported, though no further context was provided.

His arrest has intensified political discussion over the case in Uttar Pradesh. For Khan, who had expected to leave jail after about 11 months, the immediate focus is now the hearing before the special PMLA court and the ED’s request for remand.