Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mohammad Azam Khan was on Sunday, 1 November 2026, sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the Ghaziabad MP-MLA Court, a day after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. The court directed that Khan will remain in judicial custody until 13 November.

What the Court Ordered

The Ghaziabad MP-MLA Court passed the remand order following the ED's request for further interrogation. Khan's lawyer, Danish Ali, told reporters: 'Today, Azam Khan has been remanded to judicial custody. We argued that since this is a 2019 case, the authorities could have taken action through a B-Warrant when he was already in custody. There has also been a violation of Section 19.'

Ali added: 'The ED has sought his custody to further interrogate him.' The defence's challenge signals that a legal battle over the arrest's procedural validity is likely to intensify in the days ahead.

The Money Laundering Probe and Asset Attachments

Khan's arrest came shortly after the ED provisionally attached land and buildings belonging to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur district, valued at ₹426.46 crore. In total, the agency has attached university assets with a current estimated market value of approximately ₹1,170 crore in connection with this money laundering investigation involving the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, Khan, and others.

The university campus, situated at Jauhar Nagar in Rampur's Singhankhera village, is owned by the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust — an institution founded and controlled by Khan, who also serves as its honorary Chancellor, according to the ED.

Origin of the Case: Land Acquisition Allegations

The investigation traces back to 26 FIRs registered at Azeem Nagar police station in Rampur, alleging that agricultural land belonging to farmers was forcibly acquired to build the university. According to the ED, enquiries by the district administration further found that nearly 34 acres of enemy property at Singhankhera village had allegedly been occupied for the university despite the cancellation of a land lease. That land has since been recovered by the Custodian of Enemy Property through the district administration.

The Political and Legal Backdrop

The arrest comes at a significant moment for Khan. Just days earlier, the Allahabad High Court had offered him and his son Abdullah Khan a short-lived reprieve — suspending their sentence in the dual PAN card case and granting them bail on Thursday. The ED's move effectively offset that relief, placing the veteran SP leader back in custody under a separate and considerably more serious set of charges.

This is not Khan's first brush with incarceration; he previously spent over two years in Sitapur Jail following convictions in multiple cases before securing bail. The latest development is likely to deepen divisions within the SP's political calculus ahead of upcoming state-level contests.

What Happens Next

Khan will remain in judicial custody until 13 November, when the court is expected to review the matter. The ED may seek further custody extensions depending on the progress of its interrogation. Legal challenges to the arrest's procedural basis, flagged by the defence team, are expected to be argued before higher courts in the coming days.