The Uttar Pradesh government ordered the demolition of structures at Ali Jauhar University in Rampur after declaring the construction illegal [1].
The move targets an institution owned by senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, intensifying a long-standing friction between the state administration and the political figure.
According to government officials, the university failed to obtain the required building-plan approval, which rendered the construction illegal [1]. The Rampur Development Authority will oversee the demolition process [1]. While some reports refer to a single structure, other records indicate that 38 buildings have been ordered for demolition [2].
The university has been given 15 days to remove the structures independently before the government takes action [1]. This timeline puts immediate pressure on the institution's administration to comply or face state-led demolition.
Tazeen Fatima, the wife of Azam Khan, challenged the legality of the order. She said, "The demolition order is politically motivated" [2].
The dispute centers on the administrative requirements for educational infrastructure in the state. The government maintains that the action is a matter of urban planning and legal compliance, a stance the university leadership rejects as a targeted political attack against the Samajwadi Party leader [1, 2].
“The demolition order is politically motivated.”
This action reflects a broader trend of the Uttar Pradesh government utilizing municipal and zoning laws to target properties linked to political opponents. By framing the demolition as a regulatory failure regarding building-plan approvals, the state maintains a legal veneer for actions that the opposition characterizes as political retribution.
