He served as the general secretary of Utkal Pradesh Congress Committee during Biren Mitra's chief ministership.

He is also credited for organising various nationalist meetings and for mobilizing the common masses in Cuttack during the Quit India movement of 1942.

Amin was born into a Dewan family, to the notable educationist of Cuttack, Sayeed Mohammed and his wife Begum Badar un nissa Akhtar.

Amin hosted India's first education minister, Abul Kalam Azad at Jalal mansion in Cuttack.

In 1971 he ran for the Cuttack State legislative assembly elections as an MLA candidate from the Indian National Congress (O) party.

[4] Afzal-ul Amin married his second cousin, Syeda Roshanara Akhtar, the younger daughter of Ibrahim Suhrawardy, a notable author and linguist from Balasore of the Qadriyyah house and the granddaughter of Umdatunnissa, Nawab Begum of Kharui.