NEW DELHI: AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was granted bail by a Delhi court on Friday, a day after he was arrested for obstructing a demolition drive being carried out by South MCD in Madanpur Khadar area.
Khan, who along with his supporters was detained during the drive for sloganeering was arrested for “obstructing the drive.”
Metropolitan Magistrate Himanshu Tanwar of Saket court granted him bail and asked him to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties in the like amount. The court also asked him to “not indulge in a similar behaviour.” “The fact that the accused is no longer required for custodial interrogation and considering submission made on behalf of accused and above stated facts and circumstances, application moved by the IO for judicial custody of the accused is hereby rejected and accused Amantullah Khan is granted bail,” said the court order.
This was the second FIR lodged against Khan, MLA from Okhla, during the demolition drives being carried out by the BJP-ruled municipal corporation. The first one was lodged on Monday when he was again found “obstructing” civic body’s drive in Shaheen Bagh area.
It has come to light that, Delhi Police in March this year had declared Khan a ‘bad character (BC)’ — a term typically used for persons with a criminal record. According to the police, a person who has involvement in several cases, including that of murder and attempt to murder, and can disturb peace in an area is declared as a “bad character”. Police keep an eye on such people.
According to the officials, Khan has 18 cases registered against him, of which he was discharged in seven and acquitted in two. In one case, the FIR was quashed, three of the cases were compounded and in five cases the trial is pending.
The proposal for declaring Khan as a BC was sent on March 28 by the Jamia Nagar police station in Southeast district and got approved on March 30. “Most of these cases are related to intimidation, threatening, rioting, causing hindrance to duties of public servants and causing enmities between two groups/communities,” the document stated. The anti-encroachment drive in Madanpur Khadar sparked violent protests and pelting of stones.