Demolition notice to founder as scrutiny grows on Al-Falah

On the day first-year MBBS students returned to Al-Falah Medical College, the university found itself under deeper scrutiny as authorities in Madhya Pradesh issued a demolition notice for the ancestral house of Al-Falah University founder Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui adding another layer of pressure to an institution already under scrutiny for terror and financial irregularities.

- Shruti Tomar, Leena Dhankhar and Mihika Shah

The Military Headquarters of War (MHOW) Cantonment Board in Indore on Thursday pasted a notice ordering Siddiqui's family to vacate their ancestral home within three days, after which demolition will begin. The house, located in MHOW and registered in the name of Siddiqui's father, the late Hamad Ahmed Siddiqui who served as the town's Shahar Qazi for nearly 20 years had been declared illegal nearly three decades ago, officials said.

Cantonment chief executive officer Vikas Kumar Vishnoi said the property was originally held under a British-era grant that permitted only residential use. After reconstruction in 1995-96, Jawad Siddiqui sought registration and transfer of ownership, but authorities ruled that the four-storey structure violated provisions of the Cantonment Act. "Three notices were issued between 1996 and 1997 for removal of unauthorised construction," Vishnoi said, adding that the latest action follows a recent review confirming the building's illegal status.