HC seeks govt's reply on plea alleging arbitrary raids on varsity founded by Azam Khan

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday sought the Uttar Pradesh government's stand on a petition alleging "arbitrary" police raids on a Rampur-based private university founded by SP Lok Sabha member Azam Khan.

A bench of justices Shashi Kant Gupta and Saurabh Shyam Shamshery issued notice to the state government seeking its reply to the allegation in a petition filed by the registrar of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.

The bench sought the government's replies within four weeks and slated the petition for further hearing after a month.

The petition alleged that the police had entered the university premises without any search warrant and destroyed several things and also arrested some of its employees.

Appearing for the state on the last date of hearing on August 1, Additional Advocate General Singh had told the court that the raid was conducted in the university after registration of an FIR, which alleged the university's involvement in theft of valuable books from an ancient Islamic institution in Rampur.

The police acted in the case after taking requisite permission from the relevant judicial magistrate, Singh had said.

The Rampur police lodged a criminal case against university authorities on June 16 on a complaint by the principal of 250-year-old Rampur-based Oriental College, earlier known as Madrasa Aliya, that over 9,000 books were stolen and taken to the library of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.