Jauhar University Files Appeal Against RDA Order to Demolish 38 Buildings; Hearing on July 28
Rampur, 21st July 2026: Remarks made by Samajwadi Party (SP) General Secretary Azam Khan during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which he referred to then-Rampur District Magistrate Anjaneya Kumar Singh as a “tankhaiyya” (salaried worker), have resurfaced amid the ongoing legal battle over the future of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
The controversy has gained renewed attention as Singh, now serving as the Divisional Commissioner, is set to hear an appeal challenging the Rampur Development Authority’s (RDA) order to demolish 38 of the university’s 40 buildings, which the authority has declared unauthorised. The hearing is scheduled for 28th July 2026.
Azam Khan’s remarks in 2019 had led to his conviction and a two-year prison sentence. At the time, Singh was serving as the District Magistrate of Rampur.
Earlier this month, RDA Vice Chairman and Rampur District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi directed the demolition of 38 university buildings, alleging they had been constructed without approved building maps. The university administration was given 20 days to carry out the demolition, failing which the RDA said it would undertake the exercise and recover the expenses from the institution.
Representing the university, Advocate Junaid Ejaz filed a 15-page appeal before the Divisional Commissioner’s court on Monday, challenging the demolition order.
According to the appeal, the university campus in Singankheda village fell under the jurisdiction of the Gram Panchayat when construction began. Under the Uttar Pradesh District Panchayat and Area Panchayat Act, 1961, construction within the Panchayat’s limits required local approval, with non-compliance attracting a maximum penalty of ₹500.
The appeal further argues that the university buildings were completed in 2018, whereas the Rampur Development Authority was constituted only in September 2024. Since the authority did not exist when the structures were built, it cannot retrospectively order their demolition. It also points out that the land was officially allotted for educational purposes, a fact acknowledged in the RDA’s own notice, making the demolition difficult to justify on the grounds of land use.
Speaking on the matter, SP Legal Cell District President Advocate Kasim Khan said that if the Divisional Commissioner’s court sets aside the RDA’s demolition order, the dispute would effectively come to an end. However, if the authority’s decision is upheld, the university management still has the option of challenging the ruling before the Allahabad High Court.
