HC grants bail to AAP MLA Khan
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan, who was in judicial custody in the case concerning the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash, was on Monday granted bail by the Delhi High Court with some conditions. Justice Mukta Gupta directed Khan to furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000 and two sureties of like amounts.
With regard to its earlier suggestion to Delhi government to videograph the meetings between legislators and bureaucrats, the court said it never intended to encroach into legislative domain and it was “just a request so that no unforeseen incident takes place”.
“The petitioner (Khan) has served an incarceration of more than 20 days and no further custodial interrogation is required. So the petitioner be released on bail,” the court said in its order.
The court also asked him not to tamper with evidence or intimidate or approach the witnesses in any manner.
The high court imposed other conditions that Khan, who was arrested on February 21, will not leave the country without permission of the court and in case of change of his residential address he should intimate it to the court through an affidavit.
At the outset, senior advocate Sudhir Nandrajog, appearing for Khan, sought the relief for the Okhla MLA seeking parity with another AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal, who was released on bail with conditions on March 9.
Nandrajog sought modification of a condition imposed in Jarwal’s case saying that being a member of the Delhi Assembly committee, he would take part in the meetings and any legal action against the chief secretary could be construed as harassment.
The court also noted the submissions of the Delhi Police, which gave a status report stating that Khan was named in 12 criminal cases, of which he has been discharged in three while 8 cases are pending investigation.
The court had on March 9 granted bail to Jarwal in the same case with a warning that any illegal activity in future would lead to the cancellation of his bail.