New Delhi, Sep 2: Amanatullah Khan, a prominent MLA from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in connection with alleged irregularities involving the Delhi Waqf Board. The case involves purported misconduct in appointments and the leasing of properties under the Board, which are said to be worth ₹100 crore, reported ABP News.
The arrest came after a high-profile raid by the ED at Khan’s residence earlier in the day. In a video statement shared on X, Khan criticised the ED for what he described as insensitive behaviour during the raid, which distressed his mother-in-law, who is recovering from a recent cancer surgery.
“The ED arrived under the pretext of a search. My mother-in-law is a cancer patient who underwent surgery just four days ago. I informed the ED about her condition,” Khan stated in the video.
Footage from the raid shows an elderly woman lying in bed while Khan is seen speaking with what appears to be an ED officer. In the video, Khan is heard requesting a four-week postponement of the raid, but the officer responds ambiguously. Khan then questions the need for the raid if it wasn’t intended for his arrest. In the background, Khan’s wife expresses frustration over the disruption caused by the raid, stressing her mother’s fragile health and threatening legal action if anything happens to her.
Khan has strongly denied the accusations against him, alleging that the ED has been harassing him and his party with baseless charges for the past two years. He accused the agency of attempting to destabilise the AAP, framing the situation as a battle against “tyranny” and “false cases.”
This arrest marks the fourth time a high-profile AAP leader has been detained by central agencies since February last year. Other leaders who have been arrested include former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Sisodia and Kejriwal were both arrested in connection with an alleged liquor policy scam by both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). While Singh and Sisodia have since been granted bail, with Sisodia released just last month after nearly 18 months in custody, the Supreme Court criticised the prolonged detention as a “travesty of justice.”
Kejriwal remains in jail despite securing bail in the ED case, as he was subsequently arrested by the CBI, requiring him to fight an additional bail case. Both Singh and Sisodia have condemned the ED for being “repeatedly reprimanded by the Supreme Court” for its investigative practices. Singh highlighted that despite the CBI’s earlier decision not to arrest Khan, the ED continued to pursue the case.
The charges against Khan date back to 2016 when the CBI first registered a case. Singh noted that although the CBI chose not to arrest Khan, the ED persisted with its investigation. In April, Khan had been granted bail by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court in connection with alleged non-compliance with ED summons related to the Waqf Board case.
AAP leaders, including Sisodia and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, have accused the BJP of using central agencies to target political opponents, especially with elections approaching. Sisodia claimed that the ED’s actions are a strategy to silence dissent and imprison those who oppose the BJP.
