Money Laundering Case: Delhi HC Allows AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan To Withdraw Plea Against ED Summons

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday has allowed AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan to withdraw his petition against a money laundering probe and summons by ED against him.

The petition was dismissed as withdrawn by a bench of Justice Rekha Palli and Rajnish Bhatnagar.

The money laundering probe against the petitioner is linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board recruitment.

It is alleged that Khan, while working as chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, had illegally recruited 32 people in violation of norms and government guidelines.

The ED, which earlier conducted raids on the premises of the legislator from Okhla constituency in the Delhi Assembly, has claimed that Khan acquired “huge proceeds of crime” in cash from illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested those to purchase immovable assets in the name of his associates.

Last week, Khan moved the court after the ED issued summons seeking his presence before it on January 30.

In the petition, Khan sought directions from the court to “read down” certain PMLA provisions pertaining to the powers of authorities to issue summons and seek evidence.

He sought directions to quash any investigation in the present ECIR as on the grounds that no proceeds of crime are involved in the original schedule/predicate offence i.e. the FIRs registered by the CBI and Anti-Corruption Bureau Delhi.

Furthermore, the petition sought quashing of the ACB FIR on the grounds that the law proscribes and prohibits the registration of a second FIR with respect to the same alleged offence.