Delhi Court Admits Forgery Case Against Al Falah Chairman in Red Fort Blast-Linked Probe

New Delhi: A Delhi court has moved forward with criminal proceedings against Al Falah Group chairman Jawad Ahmed Siddique after taking cognisance of chargesheets that allege fraudulent academic claims linked to a case associated with the Red Fort blast investigation.

The order was issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Tapasya Agarwal at the Saket court earlier this month, following submissions by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Authorities have filed two separate cases focusing on alleged manipulation of the accreditation status of Al Falah University.

According to investigators, the institution is accused of misleading students by displaying false claims of recognition from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on its official website. The police have also alleged that forged academic certificates were issued to students under the guise of legitimate approvals.

In a parallel case, the university is under scrutiny for allegedly projecting a fabricated accreditation status from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to attract admissions. Officials claim such representations were used to build credibility despite lacking valid approvals.

While taking cognisance, the court observed that there appears to be sufficient material at this stage to proceed under provisions related to cheating, forgery, and use of forged documents under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that official records do not show any application by the university for NAAC accreditation, nor does it qualify under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act. Despite this, it allegedly continued to present itself as a recognised institution.

Police further stated that accreditation granted earlier to some constituent units had already expired in 2018, yet the university continued to publicise such claims.

The defence reportedly attributed the misleading information on its website to a hacking incident. However, the prosecution argued that no documentary proof was submitted to support this explanation, adding that directions to remove the content were allegedly issued by the chairman himself.

Investigators also examined data of nearly 1,400 students, many of whom claimed they relied on the university’s online claims before enrolling and paying significant fees.

The court has scheduled the next hearing on May 8 for detailed scrutiny of documents.

Apart from this case, Siddique is also under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate in two separate money laundering matters, including allegations related to financial irregularities and acquisition of land using forged documentation.