NEW DELHI — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) Department were on Wednesday conducting simultaneous raids at multiple locations linked to senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan.
The I-T raids were reportedly related to the Al Jauhar Trust, which is headed by Khan, a former Cabinet Minister.
According to information, the search operations are currently underway in Lucknow, Rampur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, and Sitapur.
Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh government revoked a lease for a 3.24-acre plot in Rampur that had been granted to the Trust for the purpose of establishing a research institute.
This lease, originally signed in the fiscal year 2013-14, had a nominal annual fee of Rs 100 and was intended to last for over three decades.
The government took this action following allegations of irregularities, and despite the long-standing lease, the research institute was never constructed.
The I-T Department and the ED are yet to officially comment on Wednesday’s raids.
Further details are awaited. — IANS
