Lucknow: The proposed demolition of 38 buildings at Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s Mohammad Ali Jauhar University has been put on hold after the Moradabad Commissioner granted an interim stay on the Rampur Development Authority’s (RDA) demolition order.Moradabad commissioner Anjaneya Singh, who is also the appellate authority and chairperson of the RDA, stayed the demolition on Monday evening while hearing an appeal filed by Nikhat Aflak Khan, Azam Khan’s sister and a trustee of the university. The matter will now be heard further to determine whether the demolition order issued by the RDA should be upheld, modified or set aside.Commissioner Singh told TOI that the interim stay was granted after the university’s counsel submitted an application. He said the proceedings cannot be held on Tuesday, the scheduled date for hearing, as a condolence meeting has been planned following the death of an advocate in Moradabad.“The application moved by the university’s counsel has been accepted and demolition of any structure has been stayed till further orders. Further decision will be taken on Tuesday in the matter when the file is put forward again,” Singh said.Tazeen Fatma, wife of Jauhar University’s founder Azam Khan, had earlier hoped that the commissioner’s court would rule in their favour.Fatma said she spoke to students of Jauhar University, who told her they would continue their struggle to save the institution.She said the students had resolved that even if the university buildings were demolished, they would continue their studies by sitting on the ground, under trees.“The students are also opposing this action. We will continue this legal and democratic fight till our last breath to safeguard their future,” she said.The stay comes as immediate relief to the university administration after Rampur district magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, who also serves as the vice-chairperson of the RDA, had on July 15 ordered the demolition of 38 out of the university’s 40 buildings. The authority had alleged that the structures were constructed without obtaining approved building plans and had granted the university 15 days to comply.The controversy has also drawn political attention. On July 23, a delegation of 45 Samajwadi Party leaders, including 20 MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, met the DM and urged him to halt the demolition.Two days later, on July 25, another delegation comprising 10 Samajwadi Party MPs, including Kairana MP Iqra Hasan, Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq and Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera, visited the university, met protesting students and later submitted a similar demand before the DM.During the visit, Iqra Hasan said the party would oppose any attempt to damage the university, while Ruchi Veera described the institution as a “temple of education” and said the demolition order would be challenged at higher administrative and judicial forums if necessary.The dispute stems from the inclusion of Seengan Khedi village, where the university is located, within the jurisdiction of the Rampur Development Authority in March 2026. Before that, the area fell under the district panchayat. According to architectural experts, building plans approved before the jurisdictional change would have attracted significantly lower development charges, whereas any regularisation of the structures must now be processed through the RDA under the prevailing regulations.
