Delhi court remands AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan to judicial custody till September 23

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan has been remanded in judicial custody till September 23 as the ED probes the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case. The senior politician was taken into custody earlier this month following a search at his Okhla residence.

Khan was produced before the Rouse Avenue court on Monday afternoon after his seven-day Enforcement Directorate custody ran out. The order was passed after the ED sought his detention in judicial custody. The probe agency said Khan might influence witnesses and hamper the investigation if he was released.

The ED told the court that Khan had been non-cooperative during his earlier remand. He had been arrested on September 2 after being ‘evasive’ while answering certain questions during searches at his home. 

The money laundering probe against Khan stems from two FIRs, one registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi Wakf Board-related "irregularities" and another by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch related to a case of alleged possession of disproportionate assets.

Khan is under scrutiny over the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case linked to the purchase of a property worth ₹36 crores. Four people have been accused of aiding the purchase — with the AAP leader named as the main accused. Special public prosecutor Manish Jain had earlier said that the funds in question were derived from criminal activities.

Several key AAP leaders have been arrested by federal agencies in recent years in connection with various money laundering cases — including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were released on bail earlier this year while former minister Satyendar Jain remains in custody.

The AAP has stoutly defended Khan, claiming he had been framed in a "false" case like its other leaders for raising their voice against the BJP.

(With inputs from agencies)