ED Accuses Trust and Contractors of Channeling ₹85.81 crore as Donations

The Enforcement Directorate has formally accused the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, Aazam Khan and several construction firms of disguising a total of ₹85.81 crore as charitable contributions.

Based on a report submitted on October 13, the ED’s complaint outlines that ₹55.8 crore was spent on contracted building work, ₹23.41 crore on government‑approved projects, and ₹6.60 crore on MLA/MLC area‑development schemes. The agency claims that these sums, which should have been recorded as public expenditure, were instead funneled through the Trust and later portrayed as donations.

The FIR also references violations of the Indian Penal Code (sections 61, 316(5), 318(4)) and the Prevention of Corruption Act (sections 7, 13(1)(d), 13(2)). A parallel money‑laundering investigation under PMLA section 66(2) has been launched, with Uttar Pradesh authorities collaborating with the central agency.

The underlying issue centers on a disparity between the estimated ₹494.46 crore required for the Jauhar University campus construction and the ₹78.32 crore reported by the Trust in its income‑tax returns for the period 2013‑14 to 2024‑25 – a shortfall of about ₹416.14 crore that the ED believes may have been covered by the allegedly misappropriated funds.

Law enforcement officials are now compiling statements, audit trails, and procurement documents to verify the ED’s assertions. The case remains pending, and further judicial action will depend on the outcomes of the ongoing probes.