The chancellor of Al-Falah University, Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, now under the spotlight after a terror-linked investigation involving his institution, has a past marred by serious fraud allegations. According to a fact-check by India Today, Siddiqui was a lecturer at Jamia Millia Islamia in 1993 and went on to form companies with his brother, including Al-Falah Investments.

In 2000, FIR No. 43/2000 was filed in Delhi against Al-Falah Investments Ltd. and related entities under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust. The forensic report noted signatures forged, deposits routed through non-existent companies, and large funds diverted into personal accounts. Siddiqui and his brother were jailed for over three years before being released on bail in February 2004. Although the case was later quashed by the Patiala House court in 2005—after they refunded investors—it remains part of his public record.

The timing of these revelations is significant: Al-Falah University’s campus has become the focus of a terror-module probe after a deadly blast near Delhi’s Red Fort allegedly involved doctors linked to the institution. While no criminal charges have been pressed against Siddiqui in connection with the terror probe, the renewed attention on his past raises questions about governance, oversight and accountability in private higher-education institutions.