Indian Enforcement Agency Arrests Azam Khan Outside Prison Following Release

India’s Enforcement Directorate arrested senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan outside Rampur district jail on Saturday moments after his release from custody, leading a court to remand him to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday.

Officers detained the former minister regarding a 2019 money-laundering probe into financial irregularities linked to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, while jail officials allowed his son, Abdullah Azam, to leave freely.

The detention followed an October 29 decision by the Allahabad High Court granting bail to both men in a separate case, though the ruling did not stay their convictions or reverse their disqualification from public office.

Speaking to reporters outside the jail before investigators took him away, the veteran politician accused authorities of targeting him because of his religious background.

"The mistake was that a Muslim built the university, this is the crime; made schools for children, this is the crime," said Azam Khan, the founder of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust.

Following his initial detention outside the prison, investigators transported Khan to Ghaziabad, where a special court placed him under formal judicial remand the following day.

"He has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by the Hon’ble Special PMLA Court, Ghaziabad," the Enforcement Directorate said in an official statement released after his court appearance.

The agency stated that its investigation stems from 26 police complaints filed in July 2019 alleging that land belonging to local farmers in Singankhera village was forcibly seized for the university campus.

According to the agency, investigators found that public funds were diverted to the institution, while government contracts were awarded under agreements that returned money to Khan's trust as private donations.

"During the investigation, the ED found that the funds and material meant for public works were diverted to the university, government works were executed on its private campus," the agency said.

On October 28, the Enforcement Directorate attached land and buildings owned by the university in Rampur, valuing the seized properties at 426.46 crore rupees under money-laundering provisions.

Opposition figures criticized the timing of the arrest ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled for 2027, calling the action a deliberate attempt by the ruling party to misuse federal investigative agencies.

Abbas Haider, a spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party, said the government was using central agencies to implicate Khan in fresh cases because existing charges had failed to keep him imprisoned indefinitely.

Khan’s legal team termed the arrest unconstitutional, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal expected to challenge the Enforcement Directorate's action before India's Supreme Court as financial investigations into the university continue.