New Delhi, Mar 3: A court in Delhi on Monday requested the NIA to respond to a petition from jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid, who is seeking to attend the upcoming Parliament session.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh instructed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to submit its reply by March 5 regarding Rashid’s request.
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The application, submitted by advocate Vikhyat Oberoi on February 27, argued that as a parliamentarian, Rashid needed to be present at the upcoming session to fulfill his public responsibilities.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, previously defeated Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla.
His regular bail application is still pending in court.
The second phase of Parliament’s Budget session is set to commence on March 10 and run until April 4.
On September 10, the judge granted Rashid interim bail to allow him to campaign for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, after which he surrendered to Tihar Jail on October 27.
Rashid has been incarcerated at Tihar Jail since 2019, having been arrested by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act related to a 2017 terror funding case.
Elections for the 90-member J&K assembly took place in three phases from September 18 to October 1, with results announced on October 8, when the National Conference-Congress alliance secured a clear majority with 48 seats.
On February 24, the Delhi High Court instructed the sessions judge to promptly decide on Rashid’s bail request.
This directive followed a December 24, 2024 order in which the sessions court asked the district judge to move the case to a court designated for lawmakers.
Rashid’s name surfaced in the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir Valley.
The NIA has filed charges against several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in this matter.
Malik received a life sentence from a trial court in 2022 after pleading guilty to the charges. (Agencies)
