Al-Falah University, the private minority institution in Faridabad, Haryana, has come under intense investigation following its association with the busted Jaish-e-Mohammed terror module involving radicalised doctors and the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, 2025. Amid intense scrutiny including FIRs files for misleading students and financial irregularities, now it has been revealed that the university received crores of rupees in minority grants, even though it does not have UGC funding status.
A report by the Economic Times states that while the university lacks UGC Section 12(B) status, which qualifies educational institutions for direct central grants, Al-Falah benefited from crores in scholarships disbursed through the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) and other schemes, raising questions about oversight in minority educational funding.
The controversy erupted after security agencies uncovered a “white-collar terror ecosystem” operating from the university’s medical college. Several doctors employed or formerly associated with Al-Falah Medical College have been arrested in connection with a Pakistan-backed module linked to outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). Key accused include Dr. Mohammad Umar Nabi, who allegedly carried out the Red Fort suicide bombing that killed over a dozen people, and others like Dr. Muzammil Shakeel and Dr. Shaheen Shahid, from whom explosives, weapons, and ammunition were seized.
Established in 1997 as the Al-Falah School of Engineering & Technology in Dhauj village, the institution gained minority status under Article 30(1) of the Constitution and was upgraded to university status by the Haryana government in 2014, with basic UGC recognition under Section 2(f) in 2015. However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has clarified that Al-Falah never applied for or obtained Section 12(B) status, making it ineligible for certain central grants.
Despite this, the university availed substantial benefits from minority-focused schemes of the central government. In 2016, over ₹10 crore in MoMA scholarships were disbursed to the students of Al-Falah. Before that in 2015, ₹6 crore was allotted for around 2,600 minority students. The university also received ₹1.10 crore from AICTE for scholarship to students from Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly in the year 2014, the year in which it was recognised as a private university, 50 minority students received MoMA scholarships.
Moreover, the university also received funds from AICTE for laboratories under the MODROB (Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence) scheme modernisation funds in 2011.
The report further states that the university fought hard to avoid implementing government orders citing its minority status. It moved the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) during disputes with the Haryana government over seat reservations, affiliations, and No Objection Certificates, and got rulings in its favour in most occasions.
For example, when the Haryana govt mandated 40% reservation of seats for non-minorities, the Al Falah School of Engineering & Technology under the university had approached NCMEI against this order in 2007. The institution had argued that enforcing a reservation policy on it constitutes encroachment on its right and autonomy.
When Haryana govt denied permission for a second shift engineering diploma course at its Engineering college over lack of facilities, the NCMEI ruled that the facilities were sufficient. Similarly, when the state govt delayed issuing NoC for a medical and research centre at Dhauj, the Commission had slammed the government.
After the emergence of the terror links, probe against the university has intensified over its financial frauds and other issues. Al-Falah is also facing investigations for fraudulent claims of NAAC accreditation that expired years ago and misrepresentation of UGC status on the university’s website and brochures.
On November 18, 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the university’s founder and chairman, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui on money-laundering charges. Probes revealed alleged siphoning of crores of money to family-linked companies through inflated contracts. The ED estimates over ₹415 crore in fees were collected by misleading students and parents. Delhi Police filed two FIRs for cheating and forgery, while NAAC issued a show-cause notice for misleading claims on its website.
Al-Falah University has distanced itself from the accused doctors, stating that their connection was limited to professional duties and emphasising full cooperation with investigators.