Today, On 11th February, The Delhi High Court scheduled the bail plea of Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid for hearing on February 24 in a case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This comes after the Supreme Court clarified that the High Court could proceed with his bail application. Rashid, who was elected as an MP while in custody, is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). His plea challenges the denial of bail in the alleged terror funding case.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court scheduled a hearing for February 24 regarding a plea by jailed MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, concerning the absence of a forum to address his bail application in a terror funding case.
Justice Vikas Mahajan postponed the hearing after being informed by the high court administration’s counsel that the Supreme Court clarified on Monday that the NIA court handling the case was authorized to hear Rashid’s bail plea.
Rashid previously approached the high court, claiming he lacked a remedy after the NIA court left him in limbo following his election to the Lok Sabha last year, as it was not designated as a special MP/MLA court. As interim relief, Rashid was granted a two-day custody parole on Monday to attend the ongoing Parliament session on February 11 and 13.
In light of the Supreme Court’s development, Justice Mahajan advised Rashid’s lawyer to seek bail from the NIA court. However, the MP’s counsel requested a one-week adjournment. The court agreed to defer the matter and instructed the high court administration’s lawyer to submit the office order regarding the designation of the court to hear Rashid’s case based on the Supreme Court’s clarification.
Rashid, who represents the Baramulla constituency and was elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been incarcerated in Tihar Jail since 2019 following his arrest by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with a 2017 terror-funding case.
The registrar general of the Delhi High Court had previously approached the Supreme Court regarding the jurisdiction that should hear Rashid’s bail plea.
This clarification was necessary due to a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that designated a special MP/MLA court for cases involving legislators. In his petition, Rashid requested the high court either to expedite the NIA court’s consideration of his pending bail plea or to resolve the matter directly.
On December 24 of last year, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh dismissed his plea for a ruling on the NIA case bail application, stating he could only address the miscellaneous application and not the bail plea, after the district judge sent the case back for transfer to a designated court for lawmakers.
Case Title: Abdul Rashid Sheikh v. NIA
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