AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan granted bail in Waqf Board case
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan was granted bail by a Delhi court on Wednesday in a Waqf Board "irregularities" case. The Delhi legislator had been arrested by the anti-corruption branch (ACB) on September 16. To recall, during a raid at his home, the ACB reportedly discovered Rs. 24 lakh cash and two illegally obtained weapons. Here's all about the development.
Why does this story matter?
The case against Khan for allegedly being involved in irregularities as the chairman of Delhi Waqf Board was originally registered in 2020. The MLA from Okhla, who has been under the Delhi Police radar for years, was accused of making 32 illegal appointments to the board. To recall, AAP had defended Khan's arrest and called the case against him "fake and baseless."
Bail granted after two weeks in jail
Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday ordered Khan to be released after spending two weeks in jail. Hearing the case on Tuesday, the court reportedly posed tough questions to the ACB and reserved its order. Appearing for Khan, senior advocate Rahul Mehta argued that the prosecution had "cherry-picked" Khan for reasons of their choice, and "ingredients" to charge him under Section 409 were missing.
No misappropriation of funds: Khan
According to Hindustan Times, Khan's lawyers had argued, "There was absolutely no misappropriation of funds, not any prima facie evidence of any more exchanging hands...Every penny was tracked and accounted for." On September 16, the ACB had obtained Rs. 24 lakh cash from Khan's Jamia Nagar home and two illegal arms from his two associates-Hamid Ali and Kausar Imam Siddique.
What did the ACB find at Khan's home?
Here are more details about the case
During the raid, the ACB was allegedly attacked by Khan's supporters and relatives outside his house. The agency had alleged that Khan, as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman, illegally recruited 32 people. Further, ACB said that Khan rented out several Waqf Board properties illegally "amid allegations of corruption and favoritism," NDTV reported. Reportedly, he also misused funds given to Waqf Board by Delhi government.
