Tightening its grip on jailed Samajwadi party strongman Azam Khan, a team of the central probe agency Enforcement Directorate today reached Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur for investigation. Azam Khan is the founder and Chancellor of the university, which has the status of a minority institution.
Mr Khan, a prominent Muslim face of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, has been in prison at the Sitapur jail in the state since 2020. 89 cases have been registered against him and he had secured bail in 86 of them. The Allahabad High Court yesterday granted Mr Khan bail in the land grab case, technically clearing the way for his release days after a sharp rebuke by the Supreme Court. However, another case was filed days ago by the UP Police against him making his release unlikely.
"He (Mr Khan) has been out on bail in all matters except one for so long, this is a travesty of justice. We will not say anything more," the top court had said.
The Allahabad High Court had on May 5 reserved its order on the bail application of Mr Khan in the case of grabbing enemy property for his university project.
An FIR was lodged against Mr Khan and others for alleged grabbing of enemy property and misappropriation of public money of more than Rs 100 crore.
It was alleged in the FIR that during Partition, one Imamuddin Qureshi went to Pakistan and his land was recorded as enemy property, but Mr Khan in collusion with others grabbed the 13.842-hectare plot.
The FIR was lodged at the Azem Nagar police station in Rampur under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The high court on December 4 last year had reserved its decision. However, the Uttar Pradesh government later submitted an application and sought permission to present some new facts through fresh affidavits, which were filed on Thursday.
Mr Khan had a host of cases filed against him after the BJP came to power in UP. He still managed to win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Rampur and the 2022 state polls while still in jail.
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