Delhi High Court to Review Bail of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the trial court’s decision to grant bail to Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan. This is in connection with a money laundering case involving the Delhi Waqf Board.
Case Details
The case involves alleged money laundering related to a property purchase worth Rs 36 crore, linked to irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board. The ED claims that proceeds of crime were used to buy the property in Okhla, with Rs 27 crore paid in cash.
Court Proceedings
The matter was presented before a High Court bench led by Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma. The court agreed to list the case for Monday but did not hear it immediately. Advocate Zoheb Hossain represented the ED.
Trial Court’s Decision
Special Judge Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue Court had earlier ordered Khan’s release on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, citing sufficient evidence but no prosecution sanction. The court also declined to acknowledge the chargesheet against Khan, which was filed by the ED on October 29.
Additional Accusations
The ED’s chargesheet also named Mariam Siddiqui, although she was not arrested. The court found no evidence against her and discharged her from the case. The ED accused Khan of tampering with his mobile phone during a search, deleting critical data.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a court in India that deals with legal cases in the capital city, New Delhi. It is one of the higher courts in the country where important legal matters are decided.
Bail -: Bail is a legal term that means allowing someone to be free while they wait for their trial, usually by paying money as a promise to return to court.
AAP MLA -: AAP stands for Aam Aadmi Party, a political party in India. MLA means Member of Legislative Assembly, which is a person elected to represent people in a specific area in the state government.
Amanatullah Khan -: Amanatullah Khan is a politician from the Aam Aadmi Party and serves as an MLA in Delhi. He is involved in this legal case.
Waqf Board -: The Waqf Board is an organization that manages properties and funds donated for religious or charitable purposes in Islam. In India, each state has its own Waqf Board.
Enforcement Directorate -: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering and foreign exchange violations.
Money Laundering -: Money laundering is a crime where people try to hide the illegal origin of money, making it look like it came from a legal source.
Rs 36 crore -: Rs 36 crore is a large amount of money in Indian currency, where ‘Rs’ stands for Rupees, and ‘crore’ is a term used in India to denote ten million. So, Rs 36 crore is 360 million Rupees.
Prosecution sanction -: Prosecution sanction is a legal approval needed to start a trial against someone, especially in cases involving government officials or politicians.
