Siddiqui who was picked up by the police a day earlier under a terror-linked money laundering case. He was susequently produced before Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan at her residence around midnight.
After considering all aspects, the judge granted ED custody of Siddiqui.
In making the case, the ED cited Al-Falah University’s allegedly false claime of UGC recognition, as well as its alleged misrepresentation of NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) accreditation status.
NAAC, it may be mentioned here, is an autonomous body under the UGC. It assesses and accredits Indian institutes of higher education.
As per ED’s case, Al Falah earned Rs 415.10 crore of educational revenue from 2018-2025 financial years, with a “meteoric rise” in the varsity’s annual revenue after 2018. The university generated Rs 24.21 crore revenue in 2018-2019, which rose to Rs 80.10 crore in 2024-2025, ED’s papers showed.ED’s invesgitation found that funds from student fees and those generated by duping people were being put to personal and private use, the special prosecutor told the court.Custodial interrogation of the accused (Siddiqui) is needed to find out the full extent of the proceeds of crime, the prosecutor submitted.
“Accused continues to occupy the position of founder and managing trustee and controlling mind of Al-Falah Charitable Trust and exercises de facto influence over Al-Falah University and its institutions,” the ED said.
The arrest of the accused became necessary to prevent a possible transfer, mortgage and rerouting of funds to “related entities or individuals to place assets beyond the reach of enforcement”, the prosecutor informed the court.