On Monday, the Supreme Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to the AAP MLA.
Less than a month after arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the Enforcement Directorate has taken an AAP MLA, Amanatullah Khan, into custody in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board, the party has claimed.
Delhi Ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh visited the house of the Okhla MLA and the Delhi unit of the party has posted on X that Mr Khan’s alleged arrest is another chapter in the “BJP’s failed attempts to finish off the Aam Aadmi Party”.
Mr Khan was the chairman of the Waqf Board between 2018 and 2022 and the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the money laundering angle in the case, has alleged that the MLA acquired “huge proceeds of crime” in cash through illegal recruitment of staff in the Board, which manages Waqf properties.
The ED has claimed he invested the money to purchase assets in the name of his associates. Mr Khan has denied any wrongdoing and said all rules were followed.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to the AAP MLA and asked him to join the investigation today. The bench had, however, cautioned the ED against “unnecessarily exercising” its right to arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“You arrest him in case there is material. In case, there is no material, do not arrest him. You have to follow Section 19 of the PMLA. Right to arrest should not be taken for granted,” the bench had said.
The ED had registered the money laundering case against Mr Khan based on a first information report registered by the CBI, and three Delhi Police complaints. It had been questioning the MLA at its Delhi office since this morning.
In a message posted on X, the MLA said in Hindi that central agencies have been after him and have troubled him for over a year and a half. “Their attempt has been to get me to resign. They want me to leave Arvind Kejriwal and testify against him. Because I haven’t done that, they have arrested me. I want to assure the people of Okhla that, despite my arrest, we will continue to work for the area like we have so far.”
“It doesn’t matter how long they keep me in jail or torture me, I will not bend. I was with Arvind Kejriwal and will remain with him. During my tenure at the Waqf Board, I helped everybody affected by the Delhi riots (2020), irrespective of their religion,” he added.
‘Attempts To Break Party’
Speaking to reporters after meeting Mr Khan’s family, Sanjay Singh, who is out on bail in the liquor policy case, accused the BJP of targeting different AAP leaders.
“AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who has been elected chief minister thrice, has been kept in jail and is not being given medicines despite being a diabetes patient. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is in jail, (former health minister) Satyendar Jain is in jail, I was also in prison for six months. Now they are planning to arrest Amanatullah Khan. The entire party is with Mr Khan and his family… These are attempts to break the party and ensure the Delhi government falls,” Mr Singh said.
Ms Atishi said the case against Mr Khan is a made-up one and the ED has no evidence, documents or proceeds of crime. “This is a political conspiracy against the AAP, under which other party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, were arrested. I want to tell the BJP that the people of Delhi will stand with the AAP and vote for it even if they arrest every single minister, leader and worker of the party.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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