The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has requested a 14-day judicial custody for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, following his recent arrest linked to a money laundering investigation involving the Delhi Waqf Board. The agency has stated that Khan no longer requires custodial interrogation but expressed concerns about the potential influence on witnesses and ongoing investigations if he were to be released.
Khan’s arrest last week came after a six-hour questioning session and a raid at his Okhla residence by ED officials. He has been charged with several counts of financial misconduct and illegal staff recruitment during his tenure as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, activities that allegedly led to significant unlawful financial gains.
In court, the ED detailed how Khan allegedly used his position to illegally recruit staff and lease Waqf Board properties, converting these actions into substantial personal wealth between 2018 and 2022. They also accused him of laundering these illicit funds to purchase immovable properties in the names of his associates.
Additionally, Khan’s legal team has filed a request for him to have access to the Quran and receive a special home diet if he is remanded to judicial custody. The court has yet to issue its decision on this matter.
Previously, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court have both declined Khan’s requests for anticipatory bail and protection from arrest, citing his history of evading summons from investigative bodies.
AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia, have rallied behind Khan, criticizing the ED’s actions, particularly the timing and manner of the raid on Khan’s home, which they claim unduly distressed his cancer-stricken mother-in-law who was recuperating from surgery at the time. They argue that the ED’s aggressive approach is part of a broader attempt to stifle dissent against the BJP.
