A Delhi court has extended the judicial custody of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, the chairman of Al Falah University in Faridabad, for 14 days. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for March 27. Siddiqui had requested documents related to the charge sheet, leading to the court issuing a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Siddiqui was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on January 27 in connection with two FIRs filed against him. The allegations against him involve fraud and related offenses based on a complaint by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Despite the university’s accreditation expiring in 2018, it allegedly continued to present itself as UGC-recognized to attract students.
The investigation into Al Falah University and its chairman gained momentum after three doctors associated with its medical institute were implicated in a blast near Delhi’s Red Fort. Umar Nabi, one of the suspects, was reportedly driving the car that exploded. Siddiqui, previously arrested by the ED in a money laundering case linked to the institution, faces scrutiny over the university’s operations and courses offered.
The ED had disclosed that the university allegedly obtained proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 45 crore by misleading students with false claims. In a related development, immovable properties worth Rs 139.97 crore linked to the university were attached by the agency. Investigators also alleged that institutional funds were channeled through family-controlled entities, with foreign remittances made to Siddiqui’s relatives.
