Al-Falah University Chairman's Ancestral Home Faces Demolition Amid Family's Multi-State Legal Troubles

The ancestral property has allegedly contained unauthorized extensions for numerous years according to the demolition notice.

Mhow Cantonment Board in Madhya Pradesh has issued a final demolition notice for the Al-Falah University chairman Mohammad Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui's family ancestral home, citing illegal construction at the property located in Mukeri Mohalla.

Authorities have mandated that occupants and legal heirs remove the unauthorized structure within three days or face demolition at their expense. The official notice, prominently displayed on the building, emphasizes that unauthorized extensions have existed for years and immediate action will follow if violations aren't addressed.

Records indicate this property dispute dates back nearly thirty years. The Cantonment Board previously issued notices on October 23 and November 2, 1996, under Section 185 of the Cantonments Act, 1924, followed by another notice on March 27, 1997, under Section 256. Despite these repeated directives, the unauthorized construction remained intact.

The four-story structure, locally known as Maulana's Building, belonged to Mohammad Hammad Siddiqui, Jawad's father. The impressive building features over 25 windows and a large basement, standing as one of the most recognizable structures in Mhow's Kayastha neighborhood since its construction in the 1990s.

This enforcement action coincides with the Siddiqui family facing national scrutiny amid a multi-state fraud investigation. In a significant development earlier this week, Madhya Pradesh Police arrested Jawad's younger brother, Hamud (Hamood) Ahmad Siddiqui, in Hyderabad after nearly 25 years as a fugitive.

Hamud, now 50, was wanted for multiple investment fraud cases registered in Mhow in 2000, plus an older case from 1988 involving rioting and attempted murder. According to police, he defrauded investors—many being retired Army and MES personnel—through investment firms promising high returns before absconding from Mhow with their money.

Indore Rural SP Yangchen Dolkar Bhutia revealed that Hamud had been living under a false identity in Hyderabad while operating a stock-market investment firm in Gachibowli. He reportedly employed clever evasion tactics, including having household gas cylinders delivered to alternative addresses. Investigators believe the fraud amount exceeds the documented Rs 40 lakh and could increase as investigations progress. Though a Rs 10,000 reward was announced for his capture in 2019, Hamud remained unarrested until this week's apprehension during an operation targeting long-absconding criminals.

While Jawad himself isn't implicated in any Mhow fraud cases, recent events have focused renewed attention on the Siddiqui family. Local residents recall Jawad establishing Al-Falah Investment from the same property in the early 1990s before relocating to Delhi, after which his brother launched Al-Fahad Fincom—the company later subject to multiple FIRs. The family's background includes Jawad's father serving as Mhow's city Qazi and his half-brother being imprisoned in connection with the Afam murder case.

These developments coincide with national attention on Al-Falah University following the November 10 car explosion near Delhi's Red Fort that killed thirteen people. A National Investigation Agency team visited Burhanpur on November 15 as part of its broader investigation. Investigators noted that Dr. Umar Mohammad, the prime accused in the blast case, had previously taught at Al-Falah University.

Amid this series of unfolding events, the Cantonment Board's demolition notice further compounds the Siddiqui family's legal and administrative challenges. With the three-day deadline to remove the illegal construction, this nearly 30-year dispute has resurfaced unresolved. Whether the heirs will comply or face demolition remains uncertain, but the ancestral property known as Maulana's Building has returned to public attention while the family confronts multiple investigations across different states.