Today, On 12th August, The Delhi High Court asked the Delhi Police to explain the travel expenses imposed on Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid. The court wants clarity on the basis of the calculations mentioned in the police communication.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court requested the Delhi Police to clarify how it determined the travel expenses imposed on Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid for attending the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
A bench consisting of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Anoop Jairam Bhambhani instructed the state to provide a detailed breakdown of the calculations and scheduled the next hearing for August 18.
This request arose during the court’s consideration of a plea from the Baramulla MP, who sought a modification of a previous order issued by a coordinate bench on March 25.
That order required him to deposit approximately Rs 4 lakh with the jail authorities in order to attend Parliament while in custody.
The court postponed the matter due to the absence of the Delhi Police counsel.
The bench said,
“During the course of hearing, we enquired from the state as to the basis of the calculation appearing in communication dated March 26, 2025, addressed by the office of Delhi Armed Police to the Superintendent, Central Jail, Tihar. The essence of the question is what is the basis of various numbers and calculations appearing in that communication,”
Engineer Rashid, a newly elected Lok Sabha MP, has been in jail since 2019 after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He is accused of being involved in a 2017 terror funding case.
Earlier, Engineer Rashid had approached the court seeking interim bail or custody parole to allow him to attend the parliamentary session and discharge his responsibilities as an elected lawmaker.
As per procedure, custody parole means that the prisoner is taken under armed police escort to the required location and then brought back to jail.
His lawyer requested the court that he be released on interim bail, or, if not possible, that he be given custody parole without paying any travel cost.
The NIA opposed the plea. The agency told the court that interim bail should not be granted to Rashid and that custody parole may only be allowed if he pays the expenses for travel and security.
Engineer Rashid, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla by defeating Omar Abdullah, is currently facing trial in a serious terror funding case.
The charges against him include that he allegedly funded separatist activities and terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the NIA, Rashid’s name came up during the questioning of businessman Zahoor Watali, who is also a co-accused in the same case.
The NIA filed its chargesheet against Rashid in October 2019, and a special NIA court later framed charges against him and others in March 2022.