A Delhi court has denied interim bail to Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, the chairman of Al-Falah University, who is an accused in a Rs 493-crore money laundering investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court ruled on Tuesday that Siddiqui had not demonstrated that his wife, undergoing cancer treatment, required his exclusive care during this period.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan heard the plea filed by Siddiqui, who sought six weeks of interim bail. The application was made to enable him to attend to his wife, who is reportedly suffering from stage-4 metastatic ovarian cancer.
In its order, the court stated, “Applicant has failed to show that the wife is terminally ill or is unable to take care of her daily routine and requires constant support of the accused/applicant and further, that there is no other adult member or caregiver, who cannot be made available for the wife.” The judge noted that while Siddiqui’s wife was receiving treatment for a serious illness, medical records indicated her condition was stable and did not suggest she was terminally ill, bedridden, or incapable of managing her day-to-day activities.
The court further commented on the availability of alternative caregivers, suggesting, “It is expected from adult children to take care of their parents in such emergent situation and it cannot be said that the children cannot be a caregiver to their mother.” This observation implies that other family members, specifically adult children, could provide the necessary support.
Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui was initially arrested in February by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. This arrest was in connection with alleged financial and administrative irregularities that had surfaced at Al-Falah University. Subsequently, in March, the Enforcement Directorate took him into custody as part of their ongoing money laundering investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate’s case alleges that Al-Falah University deceived students and their parents. This deception reportedly involved false claims regarding the university’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation and University Grants Commission (UGC) recognition. The agency contends that through these practices, the university generated proceeds of crime amounting to approximately Rs 493.24 crore from fee collections.
Further allegations by the ED state that Siddiqui engaged in siphoning off funds. These funds were allegedly diverted from the Al-Falah Charitable Trust into his personal accounts and various investment channels. The agency has identified multiple entities that were purportedly used as conduits to launder the illicitly obtained money.
The university had previously faced scrutiny when it was reported that Dr Umar Nabi, an individual accused in a bombing incident, had been employed by the institution. Dr Nabi is accused of carrying out a blast in November 2025 that resulted in the deaths of 12 people.
Concluding its assessment, the court found that alternative caregivers were available and that the accused had not presented sufficient grounds to warrant interim bail. Consequently, the application was dismissed by the court.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
