Fri Nov 15 01:01:59 IST 2024: ## AAP Legislator Amanatullah Khan Released From Jail After Court Rules Further Detention Illegal

**New Delhi, November 15, 2024:** Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatullah Khan was released from jail on Thursday after a Delhi court ruled that his continued detention in a money laundering case was “illegal.” The court, presided over by Special Judge Jitendra Singh, found that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had failed to secure the necessary sanction from the competent authority to prosecute Khan, as required under Section 197(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Khan was arrested on September 2nd under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following a search of his residence by the ED, which alleged irregularities in appointments at the Delhi Waqf Board during Khan’s tenure as chairman. The court, while acknowledging “sufficient ground” to proceed against Khan, emphasized that the absence of the required sanction rendered his continued detention illegal.

The court’s decision to decline cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED further strengthened the ruling. This prompted the ED to challenge the decision in the Delhi High Court, seeking an urgent hearing scheduled for Monday.

Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh asserted that the court order exposed the BJP-led central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing them of fabricating cases against AAP leaders. He claimed that the money laundering charges were a “drama” and a tool used by the BJP to target their political opponents. Singh highlighted that the AAP MLA was imprisoned despite the lack of a strong case against him and reiterated the party’s stance that the BJP government misused the PMLA to suppress the opposition.

This latest development adds to the growing list of bail orders granted to AAP leaders in recent times, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain. The party maintains that these cases are politically motivated attempts to discredit their leadership and keep them incarcerated on false charges.

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