Delhi court grants pre-arrest bail to AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan till Feb 24, asks him to join probe

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted pre-arrest bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan till Feb 24 in connection with a case involving alleged obstruction of police officers. The court also directed Khan to cooperate with the investigation. Amanatullah Khan had filed an anticipatory bail plea before the Rouse Avenue Court in connection with a fresh FIR registered against him.

Earlier in the day, the Rouse Avenue Court issued a notice to Delhi Police on Khan’s anticipatory bail plea, which was filed in connection with an FIR accusing him of obstructing police officers while they attempted to arrest a proclaimed offender on February 10.

Khan has denied the charges, calling them "false and baseless." Seeking protection before joining the investigation, the Okhla MLA had written to the Delhi Police commissioner, alleging that the case against him was fabricated and demanding a fair probe.

He, in his letter, claimed there were no reasonable grounds for the FIR registered against him. He stated that he was booked without "reasonable grounds or allegations."

The incident took place on February 10 around 3 pm when a crime branch team arrived at Jogabai Extension in Jamia Nagar to arrest Shavez Khan, an accused in a 2018 attempted murder case, according to the FIR.

While interrogating Shavez, Amanatullah Khan allegedly arrived with 20-25 supporters and confronted the officers, police said on Monday. DCP South East Delhi Ravi Kumar Singh stated that the Crime Branch team had visited Amanatullah's house to arrest Shavez, but the MLA and his supporters allegedly helped him escape.

Since then, both Amanatullah and Shavez have been untraceable. The FIR alleges that Khan and his supporters threatened the officers, saying they "don’t value courts or law enforcement."

The confrontation turned aggressive, with officers being pushed and shoved before Shavez managed to escape.