A Delhi court on Wednesday morning sent Al Falah University founder Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for 13 days.
Siddiqui, arrested on Tuesday evening in a terrorism-related money laundering case, was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan at his residence around midnight. The proceedings continued till 1 o’clock in the night.
“After careful consideration of the arguments, I am of the opinion that all compliances under Section 19 of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) have been made,” the judge said.
“Considering the seriousness of the crime and the initial stage of the investigation, I consider it appropriate that the accused be remanded to ED custody for a period of 13 days,” she said.
The ED has alleged that Al Falah University has falsely claimed that it is a University Grants Commission (UGC) affiliated university and has misrepresented its National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation status.
NAAC is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission of India that evaluates and accredits higher education institutions in the country.
The ED alleged that the university earned academic revenue of Rs 415.10 crore in the 2018-2025 financial year, which saw a “huge increase” every year after 2018.The agency said the university earned revenue of Rs 24.21 crore in 2018-2019, which increased to Rs 80.10 crore in 2024-2025.
“It is true that the entire Al Falah Group has experienced tremendous growth since the 1990s and has developed into a large educational entity,” the agency said. However, the financial position of the various entities does not match the huge assets accumulated by the group.
Special prosecutor Simon Benjamin, appearing in the court on behalf of the ED, said that their investigation found that the money obtained from defrauding people and students’ fees was being used for personal and personal use.
“Various persons have admitted that financial decisions were taken by the arrested accused,” he said, seeking 14-day custody, saying custodial interrogation of the accused (Siddiqui) was necessary to find out the full amount of the crime.
“The accused continues to hold the position of founder and managing trustee and controller of Al-Falah Charitable Trust and exercises material influence over Al-Falah University and its institutions,” the agency said.
Benjamin said the accused could transfer money to related entities or individuals, mortgage it and redirect the money, so that his assets were out of the reach of enforcement agencies. He said that in view of this his arrest becomes necessary.
Siddiqui was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday evening after a day-long search.
The ED on Tuesday arrested Siddiqui following simultaneous raids in Delhi-NCR against trustees and promoters of Faridabad-based Al Falah University in a case related to the Red Fort blast case, officials said. ED seized around Rs 48 lakh in cash during searches at 19 premises of Al Falah Trust and University.
