'No prosecution sanction': AAP's Amanatullah Khan granted bail in ED case

Directing Khan be released on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, Special Judge Jitendra Singh of Rouse Avenue court said that there was sufficient evidence to proceed but no prosecution sanction obtained

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from the Okhla constituency, Amanatullah Khan, was granted bail by a Delhi court on Thursday in an alleged Waqf Board money laundering case. The court cited the absence of prosecution sanction against him and declined to take cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

Special Judge Jitendra Singh of the Rouse Avenue court directed that Khan be released on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, stating that while there was sufficient evidence to proceed against him, no prosecution sanction had been obtained. Khan has been in judicial custody for two months. 

The ED case involves alleged misconduct during Khan’s tenure as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board from 2016 to 2021. The central agency alleges that Khan unlawfully appointed board members, causing financial losses to the government. Additionally, it is claimed that Rs 36 crore was laundered into properties through Khan’s associates. 

The agency informed the court that a diary belonging to one of the accused could serve as evidence against Khan. “In his diary, Kausar Imam Siddiqui (an accused) had written Khan’s name multiple times. Many transactions are mentioned in the diary, and the financial statements of the accused that we have analysed match,” the ED, represented by deputy director G Subramaniyan and special public prosecutors Manish Jain and Simon Benjamin, stated. 

The ED case against Khan stems from two FIRs: one filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged irregularities in Waqf Board appointments and another by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) concerning an alleged disproportionate assets case. Khan was granted bail in the CBI case as he was not arrested. In the ACB case, he was granted regular bail following his arrest.