The Allahabad High Court has reserved its judgment concerning the cancellation of the land lease for Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, which is operated by a trust led by Azam Khan, a Samajwadi Party leader in the Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Kshitij Shailendra, reserved the judgment after listening to the arguments presented by the petitioner’s counsel and the Advocate General (AG) of Uttar Pradesh.
The AG justified the lease cancellation, emphasizing that public interest was the primary consideration. It was contended that the land, originally acquired for establishing a higher learning institution (research institute), was being utilized for the Rampur Public School.
Referring to the report of the Special Investigation Team, the advocate general asserted that ample opportunity had been provided to the petitioner’s trust before the lease cancellation.
The argument put forth was that this case involved “nepotism,” with the former cabinet minister serving as the chairman of a private trust overseeing the institution. All approvals were allegedly granted by him, bypassing legal procedures.
The AG remarked, “Perhaps he thought he was the super CM,” referring to the then cabinet minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government, Azam Khan.
The petitioner claimed that the lease deed was cancelled without affording an opportunity for a fair hearing.