ED and IT department started simultaneous raids on several locations linked to senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Wednesday morning. The IT raids were reportedly related to Al Jauhar Trust, which is headed by former cabinet minister Azam Khan. According to the information, currently search operation is going on in Lucknow, Rampur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Sitapur. The Uttar Pradesh government had earlier this year canceled the lease of a 3.24-acre plot in Rampur, which was given to the trust for the purpose of setting up a research institute.
Sources said that the Income Tax Department team is searching some premises in Rampur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh apart from the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh. According to sources, the Income Tax Department’s investigation pertains to some trusts run by Azam and his family members.
The lease, originally signed in fiscal year 2013-14, had a nominal annual fee of Rs 100 and was granted for more than three decades. The government took this action after allegations of irregularities as the research institute could not be constructed despite a long lease. The Income Tax Department and ED are yet to comment officially on Wednesday’s raid.