The Enforcement Directorate on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that it has obtained and filed a prosecution sanction against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi Waqf Board.
The High Court directed the trial court to consider the ED’s application to take the sanction on record and proceed as per law.
What HC Directs the Trial Court?
Justice Ravinder Dudeja passed the order while hearing the agency’s plea challenging the trial court’s earlier decision to decline cognisance of the case due to the absence of a prosecution sanction.
“The trial court shall consider the application of the ED as per merit,” Justice Dudeja said, while rejecting the agency’s separate request for an early hearing of its revision petition before the High Court. The matter is now listed for further hearing on December 18.
On November 14, 2024, the Rouse Avenue Court refused to take cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed against Khan, citing the lack of a prosecution sanction. The court had directed his release on a bond of ₹1 lakh and one surety of the same amount.
The ED had subsequently approached the High Court in February 2025, seeking directions to the trial court to take the sanction on record. However, since the trial court proceedings were stayed by the High Court on February 13, 2025, the lower court had declined to act on the application.
The money laundering case pertains to the alleged purchase of a property worth ₹36 crore in Delhi’s Okhla area. The ED has claimed that ₹27 crore of this amount was paid in cash, allegedly from proceeds of crime linked to corruption in the Delhi Waqf Board during Khan’s tenure as its chairman from 2016 to 2023.
According to the ED, the property was bought under the name of Khan’s second wife, Mariam Siddiqui, and the money trail and transactions connect Khan to the purchase.
ED’s Evidence
During earlier court proceedings, the agency cited entries in a diary allegedly maintained by Kausar Imam Siddiqui, which mentioned Khan’s name multiple times along with financial records. The ED also referred to WhatsApp messages stating, “Netaji ko paisa pahuncha diya,” claiming that the messages matched the dates of the suspected cash transactions.
The ED further alleged that during a search on October 10, 2023, Khan tampered with his mobile phone, deleting crucial data that could have served as evidence.
The ED had filed a 110-page supplementary charge sheet on October 29, 2024, naming Amanatullah Khan and Mariam Siddiqui as accused. While Khan was arrested on September 2, 2024, Siddiqui was charge-sheeted without arrest.
Special Judge Jitendra Singh, while declining cognisance against Khan, observed that although there appeared to be sufficient evidence against him, the absence of a prosecution sanction barred the court from proceeding.
As for Mariam Siddiqui, the court noted that there was no direct evidence against her and subsequently discharged her from the case.
The court is set to review the broader revision plea on December 18, where the agency’s request for expediting the hearing has already been declined.
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