Delhi Waqf case: Court directs ED to release AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan
The court discharged Khan citing lack of sanction to prosecute him despite sufficient evidence. It refused to take cognisance of chargesheet against him
Special Judge Jitendra Singh said while there is sufficient evidence against Khan to proceed against him, there was no sanction to prosecute him.
"Therefore, the cognisance is declined," the judge said.
The court directed that Khan be released from judicial custody forthwith on a bail bond of ₹1 lakh and one surety of the like amount.
On October 29, the ED filed a 110-page first supplementary prosecution complaint (this is the ED's equivalent to a chargesheet), claiming Khan laundered money that was allegedly generated through corruption in the Delhi Waqf Board.
ED raids
In October last year, the agency had, after conducting raids on premises linked to Khan and some others claimed that the AAP MLA had acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash through illegal recruitment of staff to the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates.
The searches were conducted in the case related to the illegal recruitment of staff and illegitimate personal gains made by the accused by unfairly leasing out the Waqf Board properties from 2018 to 2022 when Khan was its chairperson, the ED has alleged.
The money laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and three Delhi police complaints.
(With inputs from agencies)
