New Delhi, March 8 – The controversial Al-Falah University's chairman, Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, who was granted a two-week interim bail to care for his ailing wife, is expected to face a challenge in the Delhi High Court by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED fears that granting him this relief could influence witnesses.
The ED believes that the trial court, while granting Siddiqui bail on Saturday, failed to consider its submissions.
The federal investigation agency also plans to challenge Siddiqui's interim bail, arguing that he misled the trial court by claiming that his three children, based in the UAE, were unable to travel to India to care for their mother, who is battling cancer at Apollo Hospital in Delhi.
Siddiqui was arrested by the ED on November 18, 2025, as part of an investigation into money laundering related to alleged fraudulent claims of accreditation and financial irregularities by the group's flagship institutions.
The Al-Falah University, located in Faridabad, Haryana, came under scrutiny as part of an investigation into a "white-collar terror" network that allegedly supported the Red Fort blast on November 10, 2025.
Additional Sessions Judge Sheetal Chaudhary Pradhan granted Siddiqui interim bail after he provided a surety bond of Rs 1 lakh.
The court accepted Siddiqui's contention that his children – including his daughter, Afiya Siddiqa, and son, Afham Ahmad – were unable to travel to India due to disruptions in flights caused by the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Counsel for the ED opposed Siddiqui's interim bail application, arguing that it was a humanitarian consideration, and that his release from judicial custody could influence witnesses.
The federal investigation agency also claimed that Siddiqui's wife's medical condition was stable, as she had been receiving treatment since 2024.
Earlier, the ED had told a Delhi court that the university had allegedly generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 45 crore by dishonestly inducing students to enroll "using false claims".
In January, the agency had attached immovable properties worth Rs 139.97 crore linked to the university while filing a chargesheet in the case.
Investigators further alleged that institutional funds were layered through family-controlled entities, and that foreign remittances were made in favour of Siddiqui's family members.
Siddiqui is also facing a separate case filed by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on January 27, in connection with two FIRs registered against him.
He has been accused of fraud and other related offences based on a complaint filed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
He continues to be in judicial custody in another criminal case.
