New Delhi: In a statement issued on Friday (July 17), the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) condemned the demolition notice issued by Rampur Development Authority (RDA) in connection with 38 buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh.The statement has described the action by local authorities in Uttar Pradesh as ‘biased’, ‘vindictive’ and ‘unjust’. “This action is not merely directed against an educational institution but also against the educational advancement of the Muslim community. While governments have failed to adequately address the educational backwardness of Muslims, institutions established through public initiative, sacrifice and sustained efforts are being targeted on one pretext or another through administrative and legal measures”, said AIMPLB’s statement issued on behalf of its spokesperson Dr S.Q .R. Ilyas.As reported earlier by The Hindu, the RDA had on July 13, 2026 issued a demolition order against 38 of 40 buildings belonging to the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, a varsity founded by Samajwadi Party leader and former cabinet minister in UP government, Azam Khan.Citing Section 27 of the Uttar Pradesh Planning and Urban Development Act, 1973, the demolition notice issued by RDA vice-chairperson and Rampur District Magistrate, Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, maintains that 38 structures at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University were constructed without permission.In another statement issued on July 17, 2026, by the All India Muslim Jamaat, national president, Maulana Shahbuddin Razvi Barelvi said: “Whatever mistakes were committed by Azam Khan, he is paying for that by serving a prison term. But as far as Jauhar University is concerned, thousands of students who study there come from poor families and this [demolition] puts their future at risk.”In November 2025, senior SP leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan, were sent to jail in connection with a PAN card forgery case, nearly two months after he was released after serving a sentence in multiple criminal cases.