Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday requested a Delhi court to remand Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan to judicial custody for 14 days in a money laundering case. The court of special judge Rakesh Syal of Rouse Avenue Court has reserved its decision on sending Amanatullah to judicial custody and will decide the case shortly.
During the hearing, Amanatullah Khan’s lawyer asked the court on Monday that Amanatullah should not be sent to judicial custody but should be released. Whenever required, Amanatullah Khan will appear before the ED or the Court on the orders and instructions of the Court. His lawyer also asked that if he is sent to jail, he should be given home-cooked meals and be allowed to sign for the use of MLA funds.
No need to keep him in custody: ED
At the same time, the ED requested the court to remand Amanatullah to judicial custody for 14 days. The agency told Special Judge Rakesh Syal that there is no need to interrogate the accused MLA in custody. In such a situation, he should now be sent to judicial custody. The ED told the court that if Amanatullah is released, it could influence the investigation and witnesses in the case.
Earlier, the investigative agency ED had arrested layman leader Amanatullah on September 2 on charges of scam in the Wakf Board. Amanatullah is in ED remand for 7 days so far in the alleged scam case. Now it has been demanded to send him to judicial custody.
Last week, the court increased the remand
On Friday last week, the court extended Amanatullah Khan’s ED custody for 3 days and said that he may be required to confront his co-accused and witnesses. Special Judge Vishal Gogane passed this order on the request of ED. ED asked the court for 10 more days of custody.
The judge, in his decision, said that after going through the case diaries, it appears that the accused may need to be confronted with the statements or evidence of about 48 witnesses or others connected with the investigation. In such a situation, the request to extend the ED custody of the accused seems appropriate. The judge said that the custody is extended for three days. It will be released on September 9.
Why were the MLAs detained?
Earlier, the Central Investigation Agency had produced Amanatullah Khan before the court after completing his four-day custodial term. On September 2, the ED detained AAP MLA Amanatullah after searching his house in Delhi’s Okhla area. He was detained under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED alleged that the MLA was asked some questions during the search, but he was not answering properly. For this reason he had to be arrested.
