Punishment for being a Muslim: Azam Khan arrested moments after release on bail

Azam Khan walked out of Rampur jail on bail on Saturday, only to be arrested by the ED in a money laundering case moments later. The SP leader will be produced before a special court in Ghaziabad on Sunday.Azam Khan was arrested by ED in a money laundering case on Saturday. (PTI photo/ file)Lucknow,Oct 31, 2026 21:39 ISTSamajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on Saturday, moments after he was released from Rampur jail on bail in a separate case involving alleged possession of two PAN cards. Azam Khan alleged that he was being targeted for being a Muslim.The 78-year-old former Uttar Pradesh minister was taken away by an ED team accompanied by CRPF personnel and Uttar Pradesh Police as he stepped out of the jail. He had been lodged there since November 2025.The agency will produce Khan before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad on Sunday and seek his remand for custodial interrogation, officials said.Speaking to reporters outside the jail before being taken away, Khan questioned the legal proceedings against him. "What is there left to say? What can I say? The law has ceased to exist. Is this the punishment for being a Muslim? Our mistake was that a university was built by a Muslim. That is our crime. We built schools for children. Is that our crime?" he said. Khan had been lodged in Rampur jail since November 2025. His release came after the Allahabad High Court on Thursday suspended his sentence and granted him bail in a case involving alleged possession of two PAN cards.The case also involves his son, former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan. The father-son duo had been convicted by a Rampur court in November last year on charges of forgery, cheating, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy. The case originated from a 2019 complaint by BJP leader Akash Saxena, who alleged that Abdullah had obtained two PAN cards with different dates of birth. The prosecution claimed that the second PAN card was used to make him eligible to contest the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.The High Court granted bail to both men but did not stay their convictions.ED'S MONEY LAUNDERING CASEThe ED has registered a money laundering case against Khan and others, based on 58 FIRs filed by Uttar Pradesh Police against him and his alleged associates.On Wednesday, the agency announced that it had attached land and buildings belonging to Khan's Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur under the anti-money laundering law. The attached properties have an estimated market value of Rs 1,170 crore.The ED has alleged that government funds meant for public works were diverted to construct the private university. It has accused Khan of using his influence as the state's Urban Development Minister and as a minister associated with the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam to facilitate the alleged irregularities.The Rampur Development Authority had also ordered the demolition of 38 buildings on the university campus in July. The university subsequently filed an appeal against the order.The ED conducted raids in the case in August and questioned Khan as part of its investigation.SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP government of political vendetta against Khan, alleging that false cases were filed against his former cabinet colleague.- Ends