MP High Court Stays Action Against Ancestral House of Al-Falah Group Chairperson

November 22, 2025

Indore: The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted an interim stay on the Mhow Cantonment Board’s notice directing demolition of alleged unauthorised construction at the ancestral house of Al-Falah University chairperson Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, currently under scrutiny in the Delhi blast probe.

The order was passed on Thursday while hearing a petition filed by Abdul Majid (59), a resident of the house, who challenged the Board’s November 19 notice. The Board had warned that the construction would be removed within three days and costs recovered from the occupants if they failed to comply.

Majid claimed ownership of the property through a 2021 hiba (Islamic gift) deed executed by Siddiqui after the death of his father, former town qazi Hammad Ahmed.

HC Questions 30-Year Gap in Action

Justice Pranay Verma observed that although the Board cited earlier notices issued in 1996–97, nearly three decades had passed with no action, and therefore the petitioner should have been granted a proper hearing before the latest notice was issued.

The court directed Majid to file his reply with supporting documents within 15 days. The Cantonment Board has been asked to give him due hearing and issue a reasoned order thereafter.

The High Court further ordered that no coercive action be taken against the petitioner until the process is completed and for ten days beyond, even if the final order goes against him.

Case Linked to Larger ED Investigation

Siddiqui, who hails from Mhow, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on November 18 following searches against the Al-Falah group and its associates. Officials confirmed that the disputed house in Mukeri Mohalla is listed under the name of the late Hammad Ahmed in Cantonment Board records.