Delhi Red Fort blast case: ED gets 13-day custody of Al-Falah University founder

A Delhi court early Wednesday sent AlFalah University founder Jawed Ahmed Siddiqui to Enforcement Directorate custody for 13 days reported news agency PTISiddiqui who was arrested under the terrorlinked money laundering case on Tuesday evening was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan at her residence close to midnight The proceedings lasted till 1 amThe judge said After carefully considering the submission made I am of the considered view that all the compliances under Section 19 of the PMLA Prevention of money laundering act have been doneConsidering the gravity of the offence and that the investigation is at nascent stage I deem it appropriate that the accused is granted Enforcement Directorate ED custody remand for a period of 13 days the judge added reported PTIThe ED has alleged that the AlFalah University falsely claimed that it is a UGC recognised university and misrepresented its NAAC National Assessment and Accreditation Council accreditation statusNAAC is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission UGC of India that assesses and accredits higher education institutions in the countryThe agency alleged that the university generated Rs 41510 crore of educational revenue from 20182025 financial year which saw a meteoric rise every year after 2018 reported PTIThe ED said the university generated Rs 2421 crore revenue in 20182019 which increased to Rs 8010 crore in 20242025The agency said It is a fact that the entire AlFalah group has seen a meteoric rise since the 1990s metamorphosing into a large educational body However the financials of the various entities are at variance with the huge amount of assets accumulated by the group reported PTISpecial Prosecutor Simon Benjamin who appeared in court on behalf of the ED submitted that its probe found that funds duped from people and student fees were being used for personal and private useVarious persons have admitted that matters as regards financial decisions were taken by the arrested accused he saidSeeking 14day custody he said custodial interrogation of the accused Siddiqui is necessary to unearth and quantify the full extent of proceeds of crimeThe agency said Accused continues to occupy the position of founder and managing trustee and controlling mind of AlFalah Charitable Trust and exercises de facto influence over AlFalah University and its institutions reported PTIBenjamin said the accused can transfer mortgage and reroute funds to related entities or individuals to place assets beyond the reach of enforcement making his arrest necessarySiddiqui was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLA on Tuesday evening following daylong searchesThe ED on Tuesday arrested Siddiqui after it conducted simultaneous searches in DelhiNCR against the trustees and promoters of Faridabadbased AlFalah University linked to the Red Fort area car blast case officials saidThe ED seized around Rs 48 lakh in cash during the searches at 19 premises of the Al Falah Trust and universityWith inputs from PTI