Delhi AAP MLA held for ‘irregularities’ in Waqf Board

In a tweet, Khan had claimed that he had been summoned as he had built a new Waqf board office. Backing its MLA, AAP called his arrest “a new conspiracy” to defame the party. “He has been arrested in a baseless and outright fake case. Nothing was found from his residence or office during the raid,” it said.

“We have arrested MLA Amanatullah Khan for his involvement in a case registered with the ACB, on the basis of incriminating material and evidence against him, and from the recovery during the searches conducted today. This case pertains to financial misappropriation and other irregularities in the functioning of Delhi Waqf Board. As alleged in the FIR, Amanatullah, while working as chairman of Delhi Waqf Board, illegally recruited 32 persons, violating all norms and guidelines of the government, and with allegations of corruption and favouritism,” said ACB chief Madhur Verma.

“The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given a statement and issued a memorandum against such illegal recruitment. Further, it is alleged that as chairman, Amanatullah has rented out a number of properties of Delhi Waqf Board illegally, with allegations of corruption and favouritism. It has been alleged that he has misappropriated the funds of Delhi Waqf Board comprising grants in aid from Delhi government,” he said.

#JUSTIN:After questioning AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, the officials of Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi government has conducted raid in multiple places,including Amanatullah’s house. In one of the places,they have found one unlicensed pistol and cash Rs 12 lakh.@IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/fhHvbRxDhP

— Mahender Singh Manral (@mahendermanral) September 16, 2022

“From the inputs received while questioning, and on the basis of information developed by the ACB, four locations were searched by our teams. From these locations, around Rs 24 lakh in cash and two unlicensed weapons along with cartridges and ammunition have been recovered. In one of the locations, just outside Amanatullah’s residence, the search team consisting of an ACP was attacked by the relatives and other known persons of Amanatullah and they also caused obstruction in discharge of government duty to ACB officers. Two FIRs have been registered by our team in South-East District pertaining to recovery of illegal weapons and one FIR relating to manhandling of police party by relatives of Amanatullah,” Verma said.

A case against Khan was filed in 2016, following a complaint from the sub-divisional magistrate (headquarters), revenue department, alleging that appointments to various “existing and non-existing posts” in the Waqf Board were “arbitrary and illegal”. The ACB registered an FIR in January 2020, under Section 7 (public servant taking gratification) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

“The ACB officials have so far questioned 22 people illegally appointed by Amanatullah and found that five of them are his relatives; all 22 are residents of Okhla area,” said sources. Khan is the Okhla MLA.

Sources said the ACB has recovered several diaries and property documents with details of benami properties and money transactions from the houses of Khan and his associates.

Earlier, former ACB chief, Special CP S K Gautam, had written to the Lieutenant Governor Secretariat seeking Khan’s removal from the post, alleging that his “criminal and bullying” nature was “obstructing free and fair investigation and preventing witnesses from coming out against him”.

The AAP MLA’s arrest comes months after the party’s Delhi minister, Satyendar Jain, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case.