The arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Okhla Amanatullah Khan by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has laid bare the BJP’s blatant misuse of investigative agencies. Despite securing bail in March 2023, where the Court found no irregularities in the Waqf Board appointments, Amanatullah Khan has been re-arrested by the ED on the same charges. AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National), Priyanka Kakkar, slammed the move, calling it a baseless attack driven by BJP’s fear of AAP’s growing influence.
Chief AAP Spokesperson (National) Priyanka Kakkar, in a press conference on Monday, said that Okhla assembly MLA Amanatullah Khan has been arrested by the ED. He was first arrested by the Anti-Corruption Brand (ACB), the CBI had also interrogated him and now the ED has arrested him in the same case. When the ACB arrested him in this case in 2016, on 1 March 2023, the court had released Amanatullah Khan on bail respectfully.
The AAP Spokesperson further added that the BJP is afraid of the AAP. That is why the BJP is hellbent on declaring the leaders of AAP dishonest by any means. But the Apex Court has now granted bail to Vijay Nair as well. We sincerely thank the court for this. Vijay Nair’s bail today also proves that the leaders of the AAP were, are and will remain staunchly honest. Every worker of the AAP is staunchly honest. On the other hand, the BJP is a completely corrupt government.
Priyanka Kakkar mentioned, “There has not been any recovery, not even a single penny, from any leader of the AAP. Despite this, Manish Sisodia for 17 months, Vijay Nair for almost 2 years, Arvind Kejriwal, and Sanjay Singh have been continuously harassed in jail without any evidence, but solely based on statements from BJP operatives.”
“Because BJP aimed to crush the AAP, it wanted to break the AAP by any means of horse-trading. But BJP is failing in its aim. Vijay Nair’s bail is a tight slap on BJP’s face. BJP workers had made up many stories of breaking 150 phones and scam of ₹1,100 crores sitting on TV, but there was no recovery anywhere whatsoever,” asserted the AAP leader.
The Chief AAP Spokesperson affirmed that as much as BJP has tried to break our leaders, the people of Delhi will teach them a lesson this time. This time, their bail is sure to be forfeited even on the 8 seats which BJP had won in the last assembly elections. BJP has repeatedly tried to throw its mud on us, but today the truth of that so-called liquor scam is in front of the country.
“Every fortress of BJP’s lies is falling flat. These investigating agencies did not have any evidence, so the trial was not even started. PM Modi himself has also said that there has been no recovery of any kind anywhere. The AAP is providing free electricity, water, good schools and hospitals to the people of Delhi, hence BJP hatched this entire conspiracy against our government,” stated Priyanka Kakkar.
Court’s order of 2023 in Amanatullah Khan’s case
Reading out the court’s judgment of 8 March 2023, the Chief AAP Spokesperson shared that the court had stated, “Further, admittedly, the above appointments of A-3 to A-11 are stated to have been made for a short duration of 89 days only and the alleged loss caused to the government exchequer is not because of any undue advantage or benefits derived by the main accused Amanatullah Khan or others, but the said loss is alleged to be the number of salaries and emoluments which have been paid to the above appointees or the other co-accused against for the work done by them on the posts to which they were so appointed.”
The court’s order further read, “They all had already cooperated in the investigation of the case and had provided whatever information and documents pertaining to this case could have been in their possession or power. Further, no recovery of any money is stated to have been effected from any of the applicants and since no bribe was paid, there was even no question of recovery thereof from any of the applicants. Therefore, going by the principles laid down in the case of Satender Kumar Antil (Supra) and even while considering the request for bail of the applicants on merits of the case, this court finds no ground or reason for denial of bail to them or for taking any of them into custody.”
Para 28 of the court’s order reads, “Though, some apprehensions have been expressed on behalf of the CBI that the accused persons may tamper with evidence of case or influence the witnesses or ongoing investigation, but in prima facie view of this court these apprehensions are baseless and without any reasons as investigation qua these applicants stands already completed and most of the evidence collected during investigation is documentary in nature. Again, even most of the oral evidence pertaining to this case stands already collected.”
“Further, had there been any such apprehension in mind of the investigating agency that the applicants will tamper with or influence the evidence or pending investigation, then nothing prevented the IO to arrest the applicants in this case or to bring the above fact or conduct of the applicants to notice of this court and having not done so, the prosecution cannot now be heard of saying it simply to oppose the bail of accused persons. Again, such apprehensions being expressed from the side of prosecution have to be reasonable and real and not mere apprehensions having no backing by satisfactory material,” reads further para 28 of the court’s order.
