Delhi Court Reserves Order on Engineer Rashid’s Custody Parole Plea to Attend Parliament
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday reserved its order for March 7 on the plea of jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid, who sought custody parole to participate in the upcoming Parliament session.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh reserved the verdict after hearing arguments on Rashid’s application, which was filed on February 27 by advocate Vikhyat Oberoi. The plea stated that Rashid, as a sitting Member of Parliament, needed to attend the session to fulfill his public duties.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, secured a significant victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The second part of the Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled from March 10 to April 4.
Rashid, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with a 2017 terror funding case. His name surfaced during the probe against businessman Zahoor Watali, who was accused of financing terrorist groups and separatists in Kashmir.
The NIA’s chargesheet in the case also named 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 plea remains pending, and the Delhi High Court recently directed the sessions court to expedite the decision, especially after procedural delays related to the transfer of the case to a special lawmakers’ court.
Notably, Rashid was previously granted interim bail in September to campaign during the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections but returned to Tihar Jail on October 27.
The court is expected to deliver its decision on his custody parole request on March 7.
