The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan to respond to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) challenge concerning a trial court’s decision. The trial court had previously declined to acknowledge a chargesheet against Khan, pertaining to a money laundering case involving alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board.
Justice Vikas Mahajan issued a notice to Khan, the MLA from Okhla, and scheduled the next hearing for March 21. He also ordered the trial court to pause its proceedings in this matter until after the high court’s upcoming session.
This judicial intervention came after the ED’s attorney requested a halt in the lower court’s proceedings, highlighting that while the trial court dismissed the prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against Khan and his wife, it was set to address related accusations against other individuals involved the following day.
The trial court’s decision last year to not recognize the charges against Khan was based on the absence of the required sanction to prosecute him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This decision has been contested by the ED, which on October 29, 2024, filed a detailed 110-page first supplementary prosecution complaint. This document accuses Khan of laundering money allegedly obtained through corrupt practices linked to his tenure at the Delhi Waqf Board.
Khan’s arrest by the ED on September 2, 2024, under the PMLA, followed a search at his residence in Okhla. During investigations, the AAP legislator was described as “evasive” by the probe agency.
The ongoing money laundering investigation against Khan is tied to two separate FIRs. One involves a CBI case concerning alleged mismanagement within the Waqf Board, while the other pertains to an alleged disproportionate assets case initiated by the Delhi Police’s anti-corruption unit.
