New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday moved the Delhi High Court against a trial court order refusing to take cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan in the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case and ordering his release from judicial custody.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, while hearing the plea, asked the central agency to place before it the various orders passed by the trial court in the case.
Trial court refused to take cognisance of ED chargesheet against Khan
The trial court in an order passed on November 14 refused to take cognisance of the chargesheet against Khan and ordered his release from judicial custody. The trial court had said that there was sufficient evidence against the AAP MLA in the case, however, there was no sanction to prosecute him. It had discharged Khan’s second wife Maryam Siddiqui, saying that there is no evidence against her.
What did the High Court say on issue of sanction?
“The issue of sanction is staring at you. You (ED) have to first show it to me. You have to take a concrete stand on the issue (of sanction) and not by mentioning it as a ground in your petition because this will be contested,” Justice Ohri remarked while hearing the matter on Monday, news agency PTI reported.
ED on October 29 filed first supplementary chargesheet against Khan, his second wife
The ED had filed an 110-page first supplementary chargesheet before the trial court against Khan and Maryam Siddiqui on October 29. The ED had earlier on January 9 had filed the chargesheet in the money laundering case before the trial court under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir, Kausar Imam Siddiqui and Jawed Imam Siddiqui.
What are the allegations?
The ED has alleged that Khan acquired “huge proceeds of crime” in cash through illegal recruitment of staff at the Delhi Waqf Board when he was chairman of the Waqf Board and invested those alleged ill-gotten money to purchase immovable assets in his associates’ name.
