A Delhi court on Saturday sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan to four-day custody of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in an alleged corruption case.
Khan was on Friday arrested by the ACB in a case of alleged corruption in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment. Special Judge Vikas Dhull on Saturday passed the order on a plea moved by the ACB saying it needed to interrogate Khan for a thorough investigation. It had sought 14-day custody.
The ACB has alleged that Khan, during his tenure as Delhi Waqf Board chairman, appointed his relatives and constituents to board jobs against the rules.
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In its petition seeking Khan's 14-day custody, the ACB claimed that five of Khan's relatives were appointed in the board, while 22 were from Okhla, which he represents in the Delhi assembly.
The ACB arrested Khan on Friday after raids at his residence and sites linked to him. The ACB said recovered Rs 24 lakh, two unlicensed weapons, and ammunition during the raids.
[https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1570797113306652675]
The ACB also alleged that its officials were manhandled and slapped during the searches conducted on Friday.
"The entire team was manhandled and fire arms were recovered," it said.
The ACB said during the searches, the ACB team was allegedly attacked by Khan's relatives and others known to the Okhla MLA outside his residence.
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What's the case against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan?
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan is accused of corruption during his tenure as the chief of Delhi Waqf Board. An FIR was already registered in connection with the alleged wrongdoings in the board.
According to the FIR, Khan illegally recruited 32 people by violating all norms and government guidelines.
The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given a statement and issued a memorandum against such illegal recruitment, says the FIR, adding that Khan also rented out a number of properties of the Waqf Board illegally amid allegations of corruption and favouritism.
The FIR also alleged that Khan misappropriated funds of the Waqf Board comprising grants-in-aid from the Delhi government.
Arrest of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, politics over it
The ACB had issued a notice to Khan on Thursday for questioning in connection with the Prevention of Corruption Act case registered in 2020. He was called for questioning at 12 pm on Friday.
Earlier, the ACB had written to the Lieutenant Governor's Secretariat demanding that Khan be removed as the Delhi Waqf Board chairman for allegedly hampering probe by "bullying" witnesses in a case against him.
The AAP lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the raids and arrest, saying it was the continuation of its Operation Lotus, a term used to refer to alleged BJP plots to topple state governments. The AAP has accused that investigations against its leaders such as Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain by federal agencies are part of the BJP's designs to topple AAP's state government in Delhi.
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"First, they arrested Satyendar Jain but there is no evidence against him in court. They raided my residence. Nothing was found. Then they initiated a fake probe against Kailash Gahlot, and now they arrested Amanatullah Khan. Operation Lotus continues to break each leader of AAP," Sisodia said on Twitter in Hindi.
Sisodia, an accused in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam, had earlier claimed that the BJP had offered to drop all charges against him and make him Chief Minister of Delhi if he left AAP and joined BJP. The AAP also claimed that its MLAs were offered money to join BJP.
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(With PTI inputs)
