AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court against the summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate seeking his presence during the day in a money laundering case.
A bench headed by Justice Rekha Palli, which heard the matter at around 4 pm after another bench recused, listed the plea for consideration on Thursday and refused to pass any order at this stage.
The money laundering probe is linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment.
Noting that the summons was served a week ago, the bench said, “You can go for a day. (Or) Send whatever reply. We will take it up (on another date),” said the bench, also comprising Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar.
The senior counsel for the AAP leader said the plea also challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
He added that the petitioner apprehended invasion of his liberty if he appeared before the agency.
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The court noted that the matter came before in the post-lunch session after another bench of the high court, comprising Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain, recused itself from hearing it earlier during the day.
It is alleged that Khan, while working as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had illegally recruited 32 people in violation of norms and government guidelines.
The ED, which earlier conducted raids on the premises of the legislator from Okhla constituency in the Delhi Assembly, has claimed that Khan acquired “huge proceeds of crime” in cash from illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those to purchase immovable assets in the name of his associates.
Recently, the ED filed a charge sheet in the matter against five entities, including three alleged associates of Khan – Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir and Jawed Imam Siddiqui – who were arrested by the central agency in November 2023.
