Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Amanatullah Khan was sent to police remand for four days by a Delhi court on Monday after he was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board.
Khan was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after six hours of questioning. ED officials had conducted a raid at Khan’s residence in Delhi’s Okhla after arriving early in the morning. He was produced in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court.
‘Main Architect Of Scam’: ED
During the hearing in Rouse Avenue Court, the probe agency stated that Khan was the “main architect” of the scam and the main accused in the entire conspiracy. ED further noted as many as 14 summonses were issued to the AAP leader to appear before the probe agency for questioning in the case but he appeared only once, that too on the direction of the Supreme Court. “Khan is completely non-cooperative,” the probe agency noted.
Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Manish Jain appearing for ED also told the court, “He (Amanatullah Khan) is the main accused in the entire conspiracy and the predicate offences germinate from ACB and CBI case”.
“The proceeds of the crime were used to buy a property,” Jain further said, adding that a huge amount of cash was used to hide the transaction and an attempt was made to mislead the probe.
Earlier today, in a video shared on his X handle at 7:43 AM, Khan claimed that the federal agency had come to his residence to apprehend him. He asserted that despite responding to all notices from the federal agency, the ED team was at his house with a search warrant.
The AAP leader alleged that the action was taken “at the behest of the dictator” and described the ED’s move as part of a broader campaign of harassment against him and other AAP leaders.
“Just now early in the morning, at the behest of the dictator, his puppet ED has reached my house, the dictator is leaving no stone unturned in harassing me and AAP leaders,” he said in a post on X, which was accompanied by the video.
अभी सुबह-सुबह तानाशाह के इशारे पर उनकी कटपुतली ED मेरे घर पर पहुँच चुकी है, मुझे और AAP नेताओं को परेशान करने में तानाशाह कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ रहा।ईमानदारी से अवाम की ख़िदमत करना गुनाह है?
आख़िर ये तानाशाही कब तक?#EDRaid #Okhla pic.twitter.com/iR2YN7Z9NL
— Amanatullah Khan AAP (@KhanAmanatullah) September 2, 2024
Khan further expressed frustration and questioned: “Is it a crime to serve the people honestly? How long will this dictatorship last?”
Several AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, slammed the BJP-led central government, alleging that central agencies are targeting those who speak out against the ruling party.
ED’s work is to ‘suppress’ voices: Manish Sisodia
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia questioned whether the ED’s role is only to suppress every voice raised against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“This is the only work left for ED. Suppress every voice raised against BJP. Break it. Arrest and put in jail those who do not break or get suppressed,” Sisodia noted in his post.
‘ED’s hooliganism continue’: Sanjay Singh
Sanjay Singh shared a video on X showing Khan arguing with ED officials, questioning their reason for being at his house. Khan also asked, “If you’re not here to arrest me, then why are you here?.”
ED की निर्दयता देखिये @KhanAmanatullah पहले ED की जाँच में शामिल हुए उनसे आगे के लिए समय माँगा, उनकी Mother In Law को कैंसर है उनका ऑपरेशन हुआ है घर में सुबह सुबह धावा बोलने पहुँच गये।@KhanAmanatullah के ख़िलाफ़ कोई सबूत नहीं है लेकिन मोदी की तानाशाही और ED की गुंडागर्दी दोनों… pic.twitter.com/GyhduaghJB— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) September 2, 2024
In his post, Singh condemned the ED’s “cruelty” and claimed there is no evidence against Khan.
“Look at the cruelty of ED @KhanAmanatullah first he joined the ED investigation, then asked for time for further time, his mother in law has cancer, she has undergone an operation, they reached the house early in the morning to raid. There is no evidence against @KhanAmanatullah but both Modi’s dictatorship and ED’s hooliganism continue,” Singh wrote.
Matter of ‘great shame’ for Centre: Saurabh Bharadwaj
Meanwhile, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that it is a “matter of great shame for the central government” that, despite investigations by all the probe agencies, no evidence of money transactions has been found.
“The central government wants all the government departments in Delhi to remain vacant… The whole country is seeing how the agencies are being misused and as the elections come closer, these people will increase this kind of pressure even more,” Bharadwaj told news agency ANI.
What is the case against Amanatullah Khan?
Khan, AAP MLA from the Okhla constituency in South East Delhi, is under investigation in connection with a money laundering case linked to his tenure as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board.
The case against the AAP leader stems from two FIRs, one by the CBI in the Wakf Board related alleged irregularities and another by the Delhi ACB related to an alleged case of possession of disproportionate assets.
The ED had initiated its probe based on this CBI case registered in 2016, which accuses Khan of illegally appointing individuals to non-sanctioned and non-existent vacancies at the Delhi Waqf Board, causing financial loss to the Delhi government and illegal gains to himself.
The ED had claimed that Khan acquired “huge proceeds of crime” in cash through this illegal recruitment and used the funds to purchase immovable assets in the names of his associates.
(With inputs from agencies)
