In a recent development, Rampur Public School, affiliated with Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Trust, saw its premises taken over by the Secondary Education Department. The decision, rooted in a state cabinet resolution, was executed on Friday, involving the placement of locks on both the school and an adjacent office utilized for party activities, PTI reported.
The District Inspector of Schools (DIOS) assumed possession of the properties, sealing them in compliance with the state directive. This action followed a notice issued by the DIOS on November 2, instructing the vacation of the building by the Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Trust.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet had previously approved the revocation of ownership of over 41,000 square feet of leased land, granted to the trust in 2007. This decision, based on a panel report highlighting lease deed violations, resulted in the transfer of the property to the Secondary Education Department.
The dispute over the possession of the buildings involved the cancellation of a 30-year lease and the assertion by local authorities that both the SP office and the school fell within the designated property area. Despite protests from SP's Rampur city unit president Asim Raja, the locks were placed on both structures.
Raja contended that the SP office was a separate, rented entity and not part of the disputed property. However, the administration maintained that the office was integral to the designated area, emphasizing measurements taken by a joint team.
The DIOS notice, citing the cabinet decision, mandated the building's evacuation within seven days. SP leader Asim Raja acknowledged the vacation of Rampur Public School but emphasized the SP office's separate status and disputed occupation.
The backdrop of this development includes the formation of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University on the leased land in 2007, inaugurated by then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2012. The withdrawal of ownership is attributed to a report by a 4-member investigation committee, formed to examine lease deed violations.
Azam Khan, along with his wife Tanzin Fatima and son Abdullah Azam, remains incarcerated following a conviction in a fake birth certificate case by a Rampur court.
