ON JULY 15, 2026, the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) issued a demolition notice for the 38 buildings of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The RDA claims that the buildings were constructed without permission from the competent authority. The administration also installed a signboard outside the university gate, “This is a public road.”

Former Uttar Pradesh Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University has been declared unauthorized. The RDA has given a deadline of 15 days to the university to remove the structures before initiating demolition. 

The Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University is operated by Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. Azam Khan had served as the Chancellor and lifetime president of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. The move has once again brought the senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan into the spotlight, reigniting both political and legal debates.

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Why Azam Khan’s University Faced Demolition Notice?

The officials said that the demolition order was issued on July 15, 2026 under Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973 after careful examination of records and detailed hearing. The demolition notice was issued by the Rampur Development Authority for illegal construction of 38 buildings. 

Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, the District Magistrate of Rampur said the demolition notice was issued following a report submitted by the regional junior engineer regarding alleged unauthorized constructions in several buildings of the university. 

The University submitted its reply on July 8, 2026 and was given a personal hearing on July 15, 2026 in the presence of the officials and lawyers representing both the university and the RDA. The Samajwadi Party said that the demolition move was “unjustified,” and the university was selectively targeted by the government. 

During the hearing process, the University argued that Singankhera village, where the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University’s campus is located was not a part of RDA’s jurisdiction before September 27, 2024. The approval of the building structure was not required by RDA. They also mentioned that the University buildings had been constructed much earlier and could not be declared illegal. 

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Azam Khan's Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University

In 2006, the University was founded by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and granted university status in the year 2012. Samajwadi Party’s leader Azam Khan described this university as his dream project and the mission of his life. It was built across a campus in Rampur, offering courses in engineering, medicine, agriculture, law, education and humanities, besides housing a medical college, residential facilities, and hospitals. 

The recent demolition notice was issued against a series of legal disputes involving the university and its founder. Azam Khan, his wife Dr Tazeen Fatima, son Abdullah Azam Khan, and members of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust have faced several criminal charges related to the illegal land disputes and misuse of public land since 2019.

Samajwadi Party’s leader Azam Khan has been sentenced to two years in jail related to his alleged “cleaning shoes” controversial remarks against the government officials during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. He is currently lodged in Rampur Jail.

(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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