Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 21 The Rampur district administration has registered 173 acres of land of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, established and run by Samajwadi Party MP, Mohd Azam Khan and his family, in the state's revenue records following an order by the court of additional district magistrate (ADM) J.P. Gupta.
The ADM had noted that "the Trust had violated Uttar Pradesh government's norms while purchasing the land".
The ADM had also directed the sub-divisional magistrate to acquire the land on which the sprawling campus of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University was set up.
Mohd Azam Khan, presently lodged in the Sitapur jail, is the chancellor of the university.
Rampur District Magistrate Aunjaneya Kumar Singh told reporters that the district administration would now send a report in this connection to the state chief secretary and the state Revenue Board.
The ADM court noted that the Trust had violated the government order that permitted it to purchase more than 12 acres only on the laid down conditions that said it would not buy land belonging to the people from the SC/ST categories nor would it acquire riverbeds or floodplains or any land belonging to the gram samaj or a 'Chak' road.
"The Trust violated these terms as well as sections of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Act," added the court.
The court observed that Trust chairman Azam Khan also failed to prove that the Trust was involved in any charitable act. It was found during the inquiry that "no free education is provided to students belonging to the minority communities or economically weaker sections at the university."
The district magistrate said, "With this order, the state government acquires the right to decide the fate of the university and other premises constructed on the land."
A member of the Azam Khan family, meanwhile, said on condition of anonymity, that they would challenge the order in a higher court.
( With inputs from IANS )
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