Ompal | Rampur2 hours ago
The proposed bulldozer action against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur has been stayed.
Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Anjaneya Kumar Singh has granted interim relief to the university and stayed the implementation of the demolition order issued by the Rampur District Magistrate (DM).
A hearing in the case is scheduled at the Moradabad Commissioner’s office on July 28, but it could not be held due to a mourning holiday.
RDA alleged 38 of 40 buildings were constructed without approved maps
The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) had alleged that 38 of the university’s 40 buildings were constructed without approved building maps.
On July 15, the university was served a notice ordering demolition. The order stated that the university administration should demolish the buildings itself, failing which the RDA would take action.
The university was given 15 days before the demolition action could be carried out.
Meanwhile, Nikhat Aflak Khan, chairperson and trustee of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, filed a petition before the court of Moradabad Divisional Commissioner Anjaneya Kumar Singh.
Although the hearing was scheduled for July 28, the commissioner granted interim relief based on an application submitted by the university and stayed implementation of the demolition order on Monday evening.
In the picture, students and leaders are seen protesting outside the university.
Tazeen Fatima Objected to Police Presence at University
After the demolition order was issued, Azam Khan’s wife, Dr Tazeen Fatima, reached Jauhar University at around 2 pm on July 16.
She became angry after seeing police personnel inside the university campus. Fatima said they had a clear court order granting them 15 days and questioned why the police and administration were entering and staying inside the university premises.
She alleged that the entire action was being carried out with malicious intent.
Fatima then had the police personnel deployed on duty removed from the university premises.
She subsequently went to her office on the university campus, where she met university management members and Samajwadi Party leaders. They discussed a strategy to counter the RDA’s action and also sought advice on challenging the DM’s order in court.
SP delegation of 45 leaders met DM
On July 23, a delegation of 45 Samajwadi Party leaders, including 20 sitting and former MLAs, met Rampur DM Ajay Kumar Dwivedi under the leadership of SP Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey.
The delegation demanded that the proposed bulldozer action against the university be stopped.
Two days later, on July 25, another delegation of 10 MPs reached Rampur. It included Kairana MP Iqra Hasan, Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera.
The MPs first visited the university and met students sitting in protest. They later met the DM and demanded that the action against the university be stopped.
Azam Khan’s wife, Tanzin Fatima, was escorted by SP leaders to her office on the university campus.
Iqra Hasan: ‘We will put our heads in place of every brick’
During the visit, MP Iqra Hasan said SP legislators had already met the DM and assured the people of Rampur and Azam Khan that they would not allow Jauhar University to be demolished.
She said, “If necessary, we will put our heads in place of every brick, but we will not let anything happen to it.”
Hasan said Jauhar University was built by Azam Khan and would not be allowed to be demolished at any cost. She added that the delegation would ask the DM to ensure that the university remains intact and suffers no damage.
Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera also said they would not allow the university to be demolished under any circumstances.
Calling it a “temple of education,” Veera said the demolition order was wrong. She added that if the DM did not accept their demand, they would approach senior officials and, if necessary, the court.
How did Azam Khan miss getting the building maps approved?
The Rampur Development Authority included Seengan Khedi village within its jurisdiction in March 2026. Jauhar University is located in this village.
Before that, the village came under the district panchayat. The Rampur district panchayat’s development fee ranged from ₹100 to ₹300 per square metre.
According to the report, if Azam Khan had got the building maps approved before March 2026, maps for all the university buildings could have been approved for approximately ₹5-6 crore. However, he failed to do so.
A senior architect said that regardless of whether Azam Khan approaches a higher court, he would still have to approach the Rampur Development Authority to get the university’s building maps approved.
The architect said an appeal against an RDA order can also be filed before the Moradabad Commissioner, who is the authority’s chairman. The university’s appeal has been filed under this process.
Azam founded Jauhar Trust in 2003, Mulayam cabinet laid university foundation
In 2003, Azam Khan became a minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, holding portfolios including Parliamentary Affairs, Urban Development, Employment, Water Supply and Poverty Alleviation.
This was the period when Azam Khan’s political influence in Rampur began to grow significantly.
That same year, the SP leader established the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, with members of his family also made trustees.
In 2005, Azam Khan decided to establish Mohammad Ali Jauhar University under the Jauhar Trust. He wanted it to become Uttar Pradesh’s largest educational institution.
Then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, along with his entire cabinet, visited Rampur on September 18, 2005, when the foundation stone of Jauhar University was laid.
These developments took place during the Mulayam Singh government between 2005 and 2007, and later during the Akhilesh Yadav government between 2012 and 2015.
University had 25 courses by 2017
By 2017, the university had started offering 25 courses, including BA, BSc, BTech and BPharma.
A total of 58 separate, large buildings were constructed on the university campus for these courses.
During the SP government, the Labour Department estimated their total cost at approximately ₹2,000 crore.
The Akhilesh Yadav government ended in March 2017, and Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister.
According to the report, action against Azam Khan’s Jauhar University intensified after the BJP government came to power.
30 of 90 cases against Azam linked to Jauhar University
According to the report, 90 cases have been registered against Azam Khan in Rampur, of which 30 are related to Jauhar University.
The university is spread over approximately 1,500 bighas of land. Legal disputes over land purchased for the university have continued.
The university has faced continuous administrative and legal action for the past seven years.
