SC to hear today AAP MLA Amanatullah’s plea against police to declare him ‘bad character’

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a petition of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan challenging the Delhi Police’s decision to declare him as a “bad character”. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta will hear Khan’s petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s order dismissing his plea against the police’s decision.

Earlier on July 3, the top court had sought the response of the Delhi Police on Khan’s plea. On January 19, the high court had dismissed a plea of Khan against the decision of the city police to declare him as a “bad character”. It had, however, granted him liberty to make a representation before the authorities concerned to remove the bad character tag.

According to the police, a person who is involved in multiple criminal cases, including murder and attempt to murder, and can disturb peace in an area, can be designated a bad character.

The Delhi Police had declared Khan, the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla, a bad character last year. Khan’s lawyer had contended before the high court that the authorities had “acted in absolutely malafide manner” and claimed the replica of the history sheet, which is a confidential document, was shared on social media by a spokesperson for a rival political party to “malign” his image.

The Delhi Police had argued that due procedure was followed by the competent authorities to arrive at the decision. The police said applicable rules were duly followed by the authorities and the decision was arrived at in view of the material on record and after application of mind.

The proposal for declaring Khan as a bad character was sent on March 28, last year by the Jamia Nagar police station in the Southeast district and approved on March 30, 2022.