In Indore’s quiet Mhow cantonment, an old family home has found an unexpected guardian. The Madhya Pradesh High Court stepped in and pressed the brakes on a demolition order aimed at the ancestral property linked to Al-Falah University’s founder, whose name has recently been entangled in multiple investigations.
The court told the current occupant, Abdul Majid, to answer the demolition notice within fifteen days and back it up with every document he can muster. Only after he is heard—properly and fully—can the authorities move forward. And even then, the clock won’t strike immediately. For ten days after any adverse order, no bulldozers may stir.
The house in question traces back to the father of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, the university’s founder, now in custody in a money-laundering probe tied to the institution’s operations. The property came into sudden focus when the Cantonment Board alleged that parts of it had been built without authorization and issued a fresh notice on November 19—three decades after similar notices were sent in the late 90s.
During the hearing, it was pointed out that Majid was given barely three days to pull down the construction, a timeline the court noted didn’t square with established guidelines requiring proper notice and opportunity to respond. The court made it clear: after thirty silent years, the authorities couldn’t simply restart the clock without offering the man a fair chance to speak.
The petition has now been disposed of, with the court keeping its views on the larger dispute to itself—ensuring only that due process gets the respect it deserves.
