NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday rejected the plea of jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid seeking custody parole to attend the upcoming Parliament session.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh dismissed the plea and scheduled the order on Rashid’s regular bail plea for March 19. A detailed order is awaited.
On March 3, the court had asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to the plea before reserving its verdict after hearing arguments. The application, filed by Rashid’s lawyer Vikhyat Oberoi on February 27, argued that as a parliamentarian, he needed to attend the session to fulfill his public duty.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after being arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in a 2017 terror funding case. His name surfaced during the NIA's investigation into Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was accused of funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA’s chargesheet in the case also included Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 after pleading guilty.
Rashid’s regular bail application remains pending, with the Delhi High Court directing the sessions judge on February 24 to expedite the decision.
Rashid won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla, defeating former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah. The second part of Parliament’s Budget session is set to run from March 10 to April 4.
Earlier, on September 10, the court granted Rashid interim bail to campaign for the J&K Assembly elections. He surrendered before Tihar Jail on October 27. Elections to the 90-member Assembly were held in three phases from September 18 to October 1, with results declared on October 8. The National Conference-Congress alliance secured a clear majority with 48 seats.
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