It was named after Mohammad Ali Jouhar, an Indian Muslim activist among the leading figures of the Khilafat Movement.

At the time, the proposal of making Azam Khan the lifelong chancellor of the university was not approved by the then governor T.V.

It stated that it would approve the bill if Azam Khan, then MLA of Samajwadi Party, would cease seeking to be lifelong chancellor of the university.

In 2006, amidst all the opposition from the political parties, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav laid the foundation stone of the University.

This further worsened conditions for Azam Khan, who was part of the Samajwadi Party and was the main proponent of the university.

[10] After eight years of struggle, the university was finally inaugurated on September 18th, 2012 by Mulayam Singh Yadav, the founder of the Samajwadi Party.

The presence of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav was well accepted and lauded by the large audience that had gathered to witness the inauguration.

[11] The former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said that Azam Khan had rendered "an unmatched service for the upliftment of the community and society."