Blow to Mohammad Azam Khan, UP govt takes back over 70 hectares of land from Mohammad Ali Jauhar University

The Allahabad High Court dismissed the MP Mohammad Azam Khan’s plea objecting to the state government move to take over all except 12.50 acres of the University land, for the violations of various conditions on which the land was allocated to the varsity.

Zee News file pic

New Delhi: The Rampur district administration has taken back more than 70 hectares of land from Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The Allahabad High Court on Monday dismissed the SP MP Mohammad Azam Khan’s plea objecting to the state government move to take over all except 12.50 acres of the University land, for the violations of various conditions on which the land was allocated to the varsity.

"The high court had rejected an appeal against the eviction process. Today, we have come here to take possession," Tehsildar (Sadar) Pramod Kumar told ANI.

Earlier on Wednesday, the district administration said it was studying the High Court order that junked Azam Khan’s move against the state government action to acquire the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University land in Rampur.

According to the High Court order, the breached conditions included building a mosque on the varsity campus despite the fact that land had been allocated to it only for educational purposes and not any religious purpose.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal dismissed the plea filed by Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust seeking quashing of a report submitted by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in March 2020 on the constructions over the land as well as the order dated January 16, 2021, by Additional District Magistrate (Administration) Rampur for vesting of the land in the state.

The Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur is the chairman of this trust, while his wife Dr Tazeen Fatima is its secretary and his son Abdullah Azam Khan is an active member. 

Notably, both Azam Khan and his son Abdullah are currently at Sitapur district jail and are facing several cases.