A Delhi court on Monday night remanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan to four days of custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.
The court observed that evidence presented indicated an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Khan, the 50-year-old legislator from Okhla, was arrested from his residence earlier in the day after a search operation that began at 6 a.m.
The ED produced Khan before Special Judge Rakesh Syal, seeking a 10-day custody to confront him with other accused individuals and evidence in the case.
"Four-day ED custody, to be produced on September 6," Judge Syal ruled, rejecting Khan’s argument that his arrest was illegal. The court directed that Khan’s interrogation be conducted under CCTV surveillance.
Judge Syal noted that financial crimes, such as those involving criminal conspiracy, benami property purchases, and bribery, are often shrouded in secrecy and complex transactions.
In such cases, custodial interrogation is necessary to confront the accused with evidence and uncover the full extent of the alleged conspiracy.
The court highlighted that diaries seized from one of the accused, Kausar Imam Siddiqui, revealed that properties in question were purchased for approximately ₹36 crore, of which ₹27 crore was paid in cash and ₹8.33 crore was paid by Khan.
The properties were reportedly valued at ₹36 crore but were shown to be worth only ₹13.40 crore, the court noted.
The ED alleges that Khan used the proceeds of crime to purchase these properties in the names of his associates, known as benamidars, as the actual purchaser lacked the financial capacity.
The money laundering investigation against Khan stems from two FIRs—one registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) related to "irregularities" in the Delhi Wakf Board, and another by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch concerning alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
The ED informed the court that Khan was "evasive" during questioning and was subsequently arrested. The agency claimed Khan is the primary accused and that "proceeds of crime have been used and laundered to buy property, with cash also involved."
The ED accused Khan of non-cooperation, stating that he responded to only one of 14 summonses, and that too, only after a Supreme Court order.
Khan is among several AAP leaders arrested by the federal agency in various money laundering cases, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and former minister Satyendar Jain. Sisodia and Singh are currently out on bail.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Khan claimed that his mother-in-law, a cancer patient who had recently undergone surgery, required his care. He had requested four weeks’ time from the ED for her treatment.
Khan also asserted that he had "fully cooperated" with the investigation, adding that previous probes by the Anti-Corruption Branch and the CBI had cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The ED has accused Khan of acquiring "huge proceeds of crime" through the illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Wakf Board and investing those funds to purchase immovable assets in the names of his associates. The agency has also alleged that "illegal recruitment" and "unfair leasing" of Wakf Board properties occurred during Khan’s chairmanship between 2018 and 2022.
The ED filed a charge sheet in the case in January, naming Khan and four others, including three of his alleged associates: Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir, and Jawed Imam Siddiqui.
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