The searches, conducted by teams from the ED’s Lucknow zonal office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, covered locations in Rampur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh as well as Delhi. Officials said the operation was aimed at tracing suspected proceeds of crime and gathering financial records, documents and digital evidence.
According to officials, the probe centres on the alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent use in creating assets linked to the Trust and the university.
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Investigators are examining financial transactions between certain contractors and the Trust. The ED suspects that contractors who benefited from government contracts subsequently routed funds to the Trust and university through donations and payments connected with construction works.
The premises searched included those associated with the Trust and university, as well as locations linked to a chartered accountant and companies and their promoters allegedly connected to the Trust.
The operation is part of an ongoing investigation and the ED has not yet disclosed details of any seizures or recoveries.
The Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, headed by Azam Khan, runs the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. The private university was established in 2006. The University Grants Commission lists the institution as a private university and records June 19, 2006, as its establishment date.
ED raids Azam Khan’s Trust & university in Rampur.
10-time MLA. Major face of Samajwadi Party. Founder of the “charitable” Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust (est. 2006).
Nothing screams “socialism” louder than turning government contracts into personal university buildings.
SP’s version… pic.twitter.com/wIJUGND3Ae— Harisharan Devgan (@harisharandevgn) August 19, 2026
The latest searches add to the mounting legal and regulatory scrutiny surrounding the Trust and university. The Income Tax Department had earlier withdrawn the Trust’s tax-exemption status following an investigation into its financial affairs, according to reports.
The university has also faced separate proceedings over alleged construction violations. In July, an order seeking demolition of buildings on the campus was challenged, with a temporary restraint on demolition reported pending further proceedings.
The ED’s latest action, however, concerns a separate money-laundering investigation into the alleged movement and utilisation of funds. Officials have said the probe is focused on establishing the financial trail and determining whether funds derived from government contracts were diverted towards the Trust and university.
The searches are likely to bring renewed attention to the financial affairs of the institutions associated with Azam Khan, even as the ED continues to examine the evidence gathered during Wednesday’s operation.
