Lucknow/Rampur, Oct 31 The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan from the Rampur jail in Uttar Pradesh in a money laundering case, just as he came out on bail in an alleged PAN fraud case, officials said.
They added that the 78-year-old SP leader will be produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad on Sunday, where the agency will seek his remand for custodial interrogation.
Khan has been arrested in the money laundering case being investigated against him, officials said.
The politician spoke to reporters outside the Rampur district Jail where he has been lodged since November 2025.
“Kehne ko kya hai (there is nothing to say)…the mistake is that a Muslim made a University and school for students…,” Khan said as he raised his hand in the air to greet his supporters.
The former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister and his son Abdullah Azam Khan obtained relief from the Allahabad High Court on Thursday after it suspended their sentence in a case related to alleged possession of two Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards. The HC also granted them bail.
Khan was initially detained by the officials of the ED Lucknow zone while he was coming out on bail in the PAN case.
A heavy posse of central paramilitary and UP police personnel were present with the sleuths of the agency.
Khan’s supporters were heard raising slogans in his favour.
ED has booked Khan and others under the PMLA, taking cognisance of 58 UP police FIRs registered against him and his alleged associates.
On Wednesday, the ED said it has attached the land and building of Khan’s Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur under the anti-money laundering law. These assets command a current market value of Rs 1,170 crore, it had said in a statement.
The agency alleged that government funds meant for public works were diverted for the construction of the private varsity, as it accused the SP leader of using his influence as the Cabinet minister for Urban Development and the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam for these alleged irregularities.
The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) has ordered the demolition of 38 buildings on the University campus in July, following which the varsity filed an appeal.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav recently met Khan in jail and accused the BJP government of pursuing a political vendetta against his former cabinet colleague and alleged that false cases had been lodged against him.
The agency carried out raids in this case in August and also questioned Khan.
(PTI News)
