Bhim Army chief attacks UP govt over proposed bulldozer action at Jauhar University (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Azad on Friday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the proposed demolition action against Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, alleging that the move reflected “communal politics” and violated the spirit of Supreme Court observations on bulldozer actions.In a post on X, Azad said the order issued by the Rampur Development Authority (RDA) should not be treated as a substitute for a judicial verdict and argued that the university must be allowed to exhaust all legal remedies before any demolition is carried out.”The order for bulldozer action against Jauhar University is the height of chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s communal politics. The most worrying aspect is that even after repeated rebukes from the honourable Supreme Court on ‘bulldozer actions,’ the Uttar Pradesh government is not desisting from such measures,” he wrote. ‘Administrative order cannot replace court’s decision’Azad said the demolition order had been passed at the administrative level by the Rampur Development Authority and stressed that the university had the right to challenge it before a competent court.”If the university disagrees with this order, it has every right to present its case in a competent court and seek justice. In such a scenario, any demolition action before the final judicial decision would amount to contempt of the honourable Supreme Court,” he said. The MP also alleged that the government was applying different standards in dealing with educational institutions.Referring to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) list of fake universities, Azad claimed institutions in Aligarh, Prayagraj, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Lucknow had not faced similar action, while “an established university is being targeted by the bulldozer.”He demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government immediately halt the proposed demolition, allow the university to pursue all legal remedies and abide by the final decision of the courts.What is the case?Recently, The Rampur Development Authority (RDA) has ordered the demolition of 38 buildings at Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan’s Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, ruling that they were constructed without approved building plans, official said on Wednesday. The order, issued under Section 27(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, followed a hearing and examination of records.The authority concluded that the constructions violated the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act and were therefore liable for demolition.Established in 2006 through an Act of the Uttar Pradesh legislature, Mohammad Ali Jauhar University was one of Azam Khan’s flagship projects. In recent years, it has been embroiled in legal disputes over alleged land encroachment and lease violations, with the Uttar Pradesh government reclaiming large parts of the campus.Earlier this year, Khan and his family formally stepped down from the university’s governing trust. Khan had served as the chancellor and lifetime president of the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which runs the university.
