On Saturday, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, who had been detained in connection with a money laundering case. The bail was set at a personal bond of Rs 15,000 with an additional surety of the same amount.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had lodged a complaint against Khan for failing to cooperate in an investigation concerning alleged discrepancies in staffing and property leases by the Delhi Waqf Board.
Khan was apprehended on April 18 due to allegations of money laundering related to his tenure at the Waqf Board. Subsequently, on Monday, the Supreme Court denied him anticipatory bail and directed him to report to the ED by 11 AM on the same day.
The case against Khan stems from an FIR initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, along with three other complaints filed by the Delhi police, citing significant unlawful earnings from supposed illicit staffing and investments in real estate on behalf of his associates.
The ED has accused Khan of personally benefitting from these unauthorized activities during his leadership from 2018 to 2022, which allegedly involved corrupt hiring practices and unfair property leases at the Waqf Board.
Despite these allegations, the AAP has defended Khan, denouncing the charges as part of a broader strategy by the central government to destabilize the Delhi government and weaken the party.