Azam Khan Judicial Custody: SP Leader Sent to 14 Days in Jail in ED Jauhar University Case

Azam Khan judicial custody is the big breaking news out of Uttar Pradesh today, Sunday, November 1, 2026. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad has sent senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan to 14 days of judicial custody in the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case linked to Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and the Jauhar Trust. The order came barely a day after Khan walked out of Rampur jail on bail, only to be taken into ED custody right outside the jail gate.

Azam Khan judicial custody: what the Ghaziabad court ordered

According to the Free Press Journal and The Times of India, both reporting on November 1, 2026, the special PMLA court in Ghaziabad ordered 14-day judicial custody for Azam Khan on Sunday. He will be lodged in Dasna District Jail in Ghaziabad, not Rampur jail, from where he had been released barely a day earlier. The court also directed the jail superintendent to ensure Khan receives all necessary medical care under prison rules, including his prescribed medicines. He will be produced before the court again on November 13, 2026.

One distinction matters here. The ED had sought custody to question Khan, and his lawyers opposed the remand plea. What the court granted was judicial custody, meaning Khan stays in jail while the investigation continues, rather than in ED custody for interrogation.

Inside the court hearing: 10.30 am production, 90-minute arguments

The Times of India reports that the ED produced Khan before the special court at around 10.30 am on Sunday amid tight security, with five ED vehicles and more than 100 police and paramilitary personnel escorting him. After about 90 minutes of arguments, the court passed its order.

As he arrived, Khan appeared calm. When journalists asked whether he wanted to say something, he replied in Hindi, "Ab kya reh gaya hai bolne ko," meaning "What is left to say now?" The Free Press Journal similarly records him answering "What is there to say?" to reporters.

How Azam Khan went from freedom to custody in less than a day

The custody order follows a dramatic 24 hours. On October 29, 2026, the Allahabad High Court suspended Khan's 10-year sentence in the two PAN card cases and granted bail to him and his son, former MLA Abdullah Azam Khan. The father and son walked out of Rampur jail at around 7.15 pm on Saturday, October 31, after nearly 11 months in custody. As he stepped out, Khan told reporters his only offence was that he, a Muslim, had established a university and built schools for children.

His freedom lasted only minutes. An ED team waiting outside Rampur jail took him into custody in the separate money laundering case, even as his son headed home. He was taken to the ED headquarters in Delhi, examined at RML Hospital after complaining of chest and stomach pain, cleared by specialists, and questioned again, with the agency reportedly putting more than 50 questions to him.

What the ED alleges in the Jauhar University case

The ED's case, registered in 2019 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, concerns the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and the university in Rampur that Khan founded and where he serves as honorary chancellor. The agency alleges diversion of government funds meant for public works, illegal occupation of farmers' land, and illegal collections from contractors during construction, with alleged proceeds of crime of Rs 426 crore. It had earlier attached the university's land and buildings.

These are allegations under investigation, and judicial custody is not a conviction. Khan has not been convicted in this money laundering case, and his legal team has called the detention illegal and politically motivated, a claim the agency and the ruling party reject.

Political reactions: SP cries vendetta, BJP says law is equal for all

Samajwadi Party leaders have accused the government of political vendetta, with general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav alleging the ED acted at its behest to arrest Khan right after his release. BJP leaders have defended the action, with Uttar Pradesh minister AK Sharma saying the law applies equally to everyone.

Azam Khan judicial custody: what happens next

• Khan stays in judicial custody at Dasna District Jail, Ghaziabad, with court-directed medical care under prison rules.
• He will be produced before the special PMLA court again on November 13, 2026.
• The ED's investigation into the alleged money trail, land deals and fund sources behind Jauhar University and the Trust continues.
• The political fallout is set to continue, with the SP framing the arrest as vendetta and the BJP insisting it is straightforward law enforcement.

A leader who walked free on Saturday evening after nearly 11 months is back behind bars on Sunday, in a different jail and a different case, until at least November 13.