NEW DELHI: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Friday denied anticipatory bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan in a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) linking to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment.
Dismissing Khan's plea, Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal said, at this stage, there appears to be no reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant is not guilty of the offence under the Act or that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.
It is alleged that Khan, while working as the chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had illegally recruited 32 people in violation of norms and government guidelines.
The ED had raided the premises of Khan, who is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Okhla constituency.
As per ED, "Searches were conducted in the case related to illegal recruitment of staff in Delhi Waqf Board and illegal personal gains by way of unfairly leasing out of Waqf Board properties during the chairmanship of the board by Amanatullah Khan during 2018-2022."
Anticipatory bail has been sought, on behalf of Khan, on the ground that he has been working for the betterment and the upliftment of the society, as a member of Aam Aadmi Party. He enjoys wide social reach, repute, extraordinary credibility and standing in the civil society, as he has been diligently and sincerely working for the betterment of the society.
He has been consistently winning from the last two terms, as the Member of Legislative Assembly from Okhla constituency. He has deep roots in society, his entire family resides in Delhi and there is no likelihood of his leaving Delhi.
Khan argued that he is innocent and is being falsely implicated in the case. He had unconditionally cooperated in the investigation and had provided the complete information. There is not a single instance of non-cooperation on his part during the investigation. He is not guilty of any crime under the Act and, therefore, his life and liberty must be protected from unwarranted and unjustified encroachment at the hands of the ED on the basis of a false, malicious and motivated case.