ED Raids Azam Khan’s Properties

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations linked to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and university associated with Samajwadi Party leader and former minister Azam Khan. Officials said the searches were carried out as part of a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Simultaneous searches were conducted at 10 locations across Rampur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Delhi. Azam Khan is the chief trustee of the Lucknow-based trust, with members of his family and close associates also associated with it.

The ED investigation is reportedly based on allegations that funds received through government contracts were illegally diverted, with the assistance of certain private contractors, towards the construction of assets belonging to the trust and university. The agency has not yet disclosed whether any significant evidence was recovered during the searches. The simultaneous raids across multiple locations have brought the case back into focus in political and legal circles.