Today, On 13th February, The High Court sought Amanatullah Khan’s response to the Enforcement Directorate’s plea in a money laundering case. Khan, an AAP leader, is under investigation for alleged financial irregularities, with the ED urging the court to take strict action based on its findings. This development adds to the ongoing legal challenges faced by the politician.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court requested AAP leader Amanatullah Khan to respond to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) appeal challenging a trial court’s decision that declined to take cognizance of a chargesheet filed against him in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities within the Delhi Waqf Board.
Justice Vikas Mahajan issued a notice to the AAP MLA from Okhla and scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 21.
The judge also instructed the trial court to suspend its proceedings until after the next hearing date in the high court.
This directive followed a request from the ED counsel, who argued that since the trial court had refused to acknowledge the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Khan and his wife, it should defer hearings regarding other accused individuals, which were set for Friday.
Last year, the trial court had dismissed the ED’s plea to take cognizance of the charges against Khan for alleged money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, citing a lack of necessary sanction for prosecution.
On October 29, 2024, the ED filed a 110-page supplementary prosecution complaint, asserting that Khan laundered money allegedly generated from corruption in the Delhi Waqf Board. Khan was arrested on September 2, 2024, following an ED search at his residence in Delhi’s Okhla area, where he was noted to be “evasive” during questioning by the agency.
In the meantime, Khan filed for bail. The ED’s money laundering investigation is linked to two FIRs: one based on the CBI’s probe into alleged Waqf Board irregularities and another stemming from a disproportionate assets case filed by the Delhi Police’s anti-corruption unit.
The money laundering investigation against him is based on two FIR,: one from the CBI concerning alleged irregularities in the Waqf Board and another regarding disproportionate assets filed by the Delhi Police’s anti-corruption unit.
The case against Amanatullah Khan contends that, during his tenure as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, he unlawfully recruited individuals, breaching established norms and government regulations.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claims that Khan received substantial cash proceeds from these illegal staff recruitments and subsequently invested this money to acquire immovable property in the names of his associates.
Khan was arrested by the ED on September 2 following searches conducted at his home by the central investigation agency. On March 11, a coordinate bench denied him anticipatory bail. Subsequently, on April 23, the Supreme Court declined to hear his petition challenging that decision.
Case Title: ED v. Amanatullah Khan
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