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Azam Khan moves the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in dual Pan Card case. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan has approached the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, alleging that he was taken into custody shortly after securing his release from jail in the dual PAN card case.
The plea was mentioned on Monday before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana by Advocate Nizam Pasha, who sought an urgent hearing.
Pasha informed the Bench that Khan had been arrested by the ED barely 40 minutes after he walked out of jail. The CJI-led Bench indicated that the matter could be listed during the current week but declined to entertain the request for an immediate hearing.
Through his petition, Khan has challenged his arrest by the ED as well as the November 1 order of the Special Court remanding him to judicial custody.
He has sought setting aside of both orders and his release from custody, contending that the action taken against him is legally unsustainable.
The Supreme Court is now expected to consider his challenge during the course of this week.
The latest development comes after the Allahabad High Court, on October 29, granted bail to Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan in the dual PAN card case.
The High Court suspended their sentences, paving the way for their release from prison. However, shortly after Azam Khan's release from Rampur jail, the ED arrested him in a separate money laundering investigation connected with the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad subsequently remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody on November 1.
The ED's investigation concerns alleged financial irregularities and the acquisition of land for the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur.
The agency has alleged that agricultural land belonging to farmers was illegally acquired and that funds intended for public development works were diverted towards the construction of the university.
The money laundering investigation originates from multiple FIRs registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Khan and others. The agency has also carried out searches and questioned the former minister in connection with the allegations.
In a significant development preceding Khan's arrest, the ED attached properties associated with the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, with an estimated market value of approximately Rs 1,170 crore, on October 28. The attachment reportedly covers land and buildings linked to the educational institution and forms part of the agency's investigation into the alleged proceeds of crime.
Khan's arrest comes amid several ongoing criminal proceedings against him in Uttar Pradesh. His son Abdullah Azam Khan has also been involved in the dual PAN card case, in which both father and son secured bail from the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court's consideration of the fresh petition will determine the course of Khan's challenge to the ED's arrest and subsequent judicial custody.
