‘Punishment for being Muslim’: Azam Khan arrested by ED moments after release from Rampur jail
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate arrested Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in a money laundering case on Saturday, moments after he walked out of Rampur jail on bail in a separate case involving alleged possession of two PAN cards.
An ED team, accompanied by CRPF personnel and Uttar Pradesh Police, took the former state minister into custody outside the prison. Officials said the agency would produce him before a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad on Sunday and seek his remand for questioning.
Khan alleges religious targeting
Before officials took him away, Khan questioned the cases against him and alleged religious discrimination.
“What is there left to say? What can I say? The law has ceased to exist. Is this the punishment for being a Muslim? Our mistake was that a university was built by a Muslim. That is our crime. We built schools for children. Is that our crime?” he said. Khan had remained in Rampur jail since November 2025.
Bail in PAN case
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday suspended the sentences of Khan and his son, former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan, and granted them bail. However, it did not stay their convictions. A Rampur court convicted both in November last year of forgery, cheating, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
The case followed a 2019 complaint by BJP leader Akash Saxena. He alleged that Abdullah obtained two PAN cards bearing different birth dates. The prosecution claimed the second card helped establish his eligibility for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
University assets under investigation
The ED’s money laundering investigation stems from 58 FIRs registered by Uttar Pradesh Police against Khan and his alleged associates. On Wednesday, the agency announced the attachment of land and buildings belonging to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, with an estimated market value of Rs 1,170 crore.
The ED alleged that public funds were diverted to build the private university. It accused Khan of using his ministerial influence to facilitate the alleged irregularities.
The Rampur Development Authority ordered the demolition of 38 campus buildings in July. The university appealed against the order.
The ED also conducted searches in August and questioned Khan. SP president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP government of political vendetta and alleged that authorities filed false cases against Khan.