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The Board has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw the demolition notice issued on Wednesday by the RDA. The development authority claimed that the buildings were constructed without permission from the competent authority.

The university is run by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, which is chaired by jailed former Uttar Pradesh minister and senior SP leader Azam Khan.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP had called the move “unjustified”, alleging that the university was being “selectively targeted”.

In a statement, AIMPLB spokesperson S Q R Ilyas said the action is not merely directed against an educational institution but also against the educational advancement of the Muslim community,.

“While governments have failed to adequately address the educational backwardness of Muslims, institutions established through public initiative, sacrifice, and sustained efforts are being targeted on one pretext or another through administrative and legal measures,” the statement said.

On the RDA’s claim that the university’s 38 buildings were constructed without necessary approvals, Ilyas said, “According to the university administration, the buildings in question were constructed at a time when the area did not fall within the jurisdiction of the Rampur Development Authority. Consequently, there was no legal requirement to obtain approval of building plans from the RDA.”

He also said if any technical or legal deficiencies exist, those can be resolved through due legal process. “Ordering the demolition of 38 buildings of a university established after years of hard work, public support, and substantial investment is not only a disproportionate and arbitrary measure but is also contrary to the larger interests of education in the country.”