Rashid’s lawyer submitted the application on February 27, arguing that since he is an elected MP, he must be present in Parliament to fulfill his duty. His regular bail request is still pending before the court.
Jammu and Kashmir: On 3rd March, Jammu and Kashmir Member of Parliament (MP) Engineer Rashid has requested interim bail from a Delhi court in connection with an alleged terror funding case. He wants to attend the upcoming Parliament session.
On Monday, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to Rashid’s plea by March 5.
Why Rashid is Seeking Bail?
Rashid’s lawyer submitted the application on February 27, arguing that since he is an elected MP, he must be present in Parliament to fulfill his duty. His regular bail request is still pending before the court.
The second part of the Budget session of Parliament will begin on March 10 and conclude on April 4.
Previous Hearings
The Delhi High Court on 7th February reserved its order on a plea by jailed MP Rashid Engineer, who is facing trial in a terror funding case, seeking custody parole to attend the ongoing Parliament session.
Justice Vikas Mahajan heard arguments from Rashid’s counsel as well as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before stating, “Judgement reserved.”
The NIA strongly opposed Rashid’s request for custody parole, arguing that the MP had no vested right to attend Parliament while being under trial. The agency also pointed out that Rashid failed to provide any specific purpose for his request and raised security concerns regarding his presence in Parliament.
Rashid’s lawyer emphasized the importance of parliamentary representation for his constituency, arguing,
“I represent the largest constituency of J&K. Don’t prevent the representation when the process of inclusion has started… Don’t stifle the voice of the constituency.”
The petition claimed that Rashid had been left without any legal remedy after the NIA court handling his bail plea failed to process it following his election to the Lok Sabha last year. Since the NIA court is not a special MP/MLA court, Rashid’s legal status remains unclear.
Rashid, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019, was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged involvement in the 2017 terror-funding case.
His petition urges the Delhi High Court to either expedite his pending bail plea in the NIA court or decide the matter itself. The NIA has also opposed his interim bail plea, stating that he has no right to attend Parliament under current circumstances.
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