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Jawed Imam Siddiqui along with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Amanatullah Khan faced charges of illegal recruitment of staff and personal enrichment through the unauthorized leasing of Waqf properties. Siddiqui was alleged to have sold a property to Amanatullah Khan through his cousin Qausar Imam Siddiqui at a higher price than the market value, thereby helping Khan in concealing the proceeds of the crime.
On Monday, Javed Imam Siddiqui before the Delhi High Court contended that the Enforcement Directorate has not yet supplied the list of unrelied documents. The bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri recorded the submissions of the parties and listed the matter for October 5, 2024.
Siddiqui, represented by Advocate Arjun Kakkar, argued that despite being in custody for over 11 months, no charges had been framed against Siddiqui, and the investigation had failed to make significant progress. Advocate Kakkar emphasized that his client had fully cooperated with the investigating agencies and noted that the trial was unlikely to commence soon.
Advocate Kakkar further questioned the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) allegations, particularly the claim that he had received INR 4 crores from Amanatullah Khan. Advocate Kakkar pointed out that, although 10 individuals were implicated in the CBI's chargesheet in the predicate offence, Siddiqui's name was not included.
Advocate Kakkar also referred to a previous case handled by the CBI, where 10 actions initially deemed criminal were later reduced to mere administrative irregularities. He criticized the investigative approach of the ED, arguing that they relied on multiple investigations, including those by the Delhi Police’s Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), without conclusively proving the charges against his client.
In the previous court hearing, Advocate Kakkar asserted that the investigative agencies failed to show direct involvement of Siddiqui in the matter. Siddiqui argued that he was summoned by the Anti-Corruption Branch solely because his name appeared in a diary discovered during a search and seizure operation.
In August 2024, Amanatullah Khan filed a plea seeking to overturn the order of the trial court, wherein the trial court upheld the decision to issue summons to Khan based on the ED's complaint alleging non-compliance. The Delhi High Court declined the plea.
Case Title: Jawed Imam Siddiqui v Directorate Of Enforcement (Bail Appln.-1864/2024)
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