Regulatory Storm Batters Al-Falah University

 

In the aftermath of the 10 November 2025 Red Fort Metro blast, a widening arc of investigations by multiple central and state agencies has placed Al-Falah University, Faridabad, and its parent body, the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, under intense legal and regulatory scrutiny. What began as a terror investigation has since expanded into probes concerning alleged financial irregularities, regulatory misrepresentation, questionable land transactions, environmental violations and issues of institutional governance.

 

On 16 February 2026, AFU approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging provisions of the Haryana Private Universities Amendment Act, 2025. The amended law empowers the state to assume control of a private university under specified circumstances, including those involving national security. The petition contests Sections 44B and 46, describing them as arbitrary and violative of constitutional protections under Articles 14, 30 and 300A. The next hearing is scheduled for 6 April 2026.

 

 

Established in 1997 as the Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology in Dhauj, Faridabad, the institution evolved into a private university in 2014 following recognition by the University Grants Commission. Managed by the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, registered in Okhla, Delhi, AFU expanded from an initial 30-acre campus to more than 70 acres through land acquisitions from local villagers.

 

During its formative years, the institution operated as a cluster college. It secured approvals from the All India Council for Technical Education and maintained affiliations with Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, and subsequently Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.

 

 

The university launched its medical college in 2016 and admitted its first MBBS batch in 2019. It currently offers 200 MBBS seats and 50 MD seats. Annual MBBS fees stand at approximately ₹16 lakh, while MD fees range from ₹2.5 lakh for Anatomy to nearly ₹30 lakh for Paediatrics.

 

Al-Falah Hospital, which began as a dispensary in 1997, has grown into an 800-plus bed super-speciality facility providing emergency and multidisciplinary care. Admissions take place through Haryana's Department of Medical Education and Research.

 

 

The turning point came with the 10 November 2025 Red Fort Metro blast near Delhi, in which an explosives-laden car killed between 12 and 15 people and injured more than 20. Investigations conducted by the National Investigation Agency and the Delhi Police Special Cell identified Dr Umar ul Nabi, an assistant professor at AFU's medical college since May 2024, as the suicide bomber.

 

Subsequent raids on the campus reportedly led to the recovery of electronic devices and coded diaries from hostel rooms linked to medical staff. Authorities arrested two additional doctors, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, a junior resident in general medicine, and Dr Shaheen Saeed, an associate professor of pharmacology, in connection with the probe. Investigators traced the white Hyundai i20 used in the blast to parking on the university campus days before the explosion.

 

In January 2026, the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet highlighting alleged hiring lapses, including appointments made without mandatory police verification in violation of National Medical Commission norms.

 

The term "white-collar terror module" entered investigative discourse as agencies examined professional networks, financial flows and institutional compliance gaps.

 

 

 

On 13 November 2025, the Delhi Police Crime Branch registered two FIRs alleging fraudulent claims by AFU regarding NAAC accreditation and recognition under Section 12B of the UGC Act, 1956.

 

NAAC had earlier awarded ‘A' grades to certain constituent schools, namely Engineering from 2013 to 2018 and Education and Training from 2011 to 2016. Both accreditations lapsed without renewal. In November 2025, NAAC issued a show-cause notice concerning the display of expired grades, which the university subsequently removed. At present, the institution does not hold valid NAAC accreditation. Investigators allege that such representations aimed to attract students and create an impression of regulatory compliance.

 

 

On 18 November 2025, the Enforcement Directorate arrested the university's founder and chairman, Jawed Ahmed Siddiqui, on charges of money laundering. The agency estimates that more than ₹415 crore constitutes alleged proceeds of crime, purportedly generated through inflated contracts and financial diversions to companies linked to family members.

 

Income tax return data indicates voluntary contributions of ₹30.89 crore in financial year 2014 to 2015, rising to ₹89.28 crore in 2022 to 2023.

 

 

The ED's chargesheet further alleges the use of over 70 "on-paper" doctors with limited attendance arrangements to secure approvals from the National Medical Commission. It also refers to fabrication of hospital patient data and the arrangement of so-called fake patients through ASHA workers ahead of inspections. Senior administrative approvals allegedly facilitated payments designed to simulate clinical load.

 

If substantiated, these allegations point to systemic manipulation of regulatory frameworks.

 

 

Despite lacking Section 12B status, AFU reportedly received substantial minority scholarships. In 2016 alone, more than ₹10 crore was disbursed through the Ministry of Minority Affairs, following ₹6 crore in 2015. The institution also received ₹1.10 crore from the All India Council for Technical Education for scholarships benefiting students from Jammu and Kashmir.

 

 

 

The Al-Falah Charitable Trust, constituted on 8 September 1995, is headed by Jawed Ahmed Siddiqui, who also serves as Chancellor of the university. Trustees include Mufti Abdullah Qasimi as Vice-Chairman and Mohammad Wajid as Secretary.

 

Siddiqui maintains links to nine companies across education, finance, software and energy sectors, many of which share a common registered address at Al-Falah House in Jamia Nagar, Okhla. Several of these entities became inactive after 2019.

 

The ED's "Dead Man Land" case alleges the acquisition of more than 50 land parcels in Delhi through forged General Powers of Attorney, some executed in the names of deceased individuals. A 2013 sale deed valued the consolidated transfer at ₹75,000 plus demand drafts, a figure investigators describe as legally untenable.

 

Siddiqui had previously faced arrest in 2001, and in 2003 the Delhi High Court rejected his bail plea in a separate forgery-linked matter.

 

 

On 5 January 2026, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board ordered the closure and sealing of a construction site on the AFU campus for alleged environmental violations. Authorities cited the absence of required clearances and the exceeding of permissible BOD and COD effluent limits.

 

 

In November 2025, the Association of Indian Universities suspended the university, stating that it was not in good standing.

 

 

Amid these developments, the Haryana Assembly passed the Haryana Private Universities Amendment Bill, 2025, empowering the state to dissolve the management of private universities under specified conditions, including national security concerns.

 

AFU's petition before the High Court challenges these provisions as excessive state intrusion into the autonomy of a minority-run institution. The state government maintains that extraordinary circumstances necessitate robust regulatory safeguards.

 

 

As court proceedings continue and investigative agencies file supplementary chargesheets, Al-Falah University confronts simultaneous legal, reputational, financial and administrative turbulence.

 

 

The case extends beyond a single institutional controversy. It highlights the intersection of higher education governance, national security, financial compliance and minority rights within India's constitutional framework.

 

Whether the matter culminates in exoneration, restructuring or state intervention will depend on judicial scrutiny and evidentiary standards. For the present, the institution remains under sustained investigative shadow, illustrating how regulatory lapses, if proven, can escalate into a national security flashpoint.