A Delhi court has deferred its decision on MP Engineer Rashid’s plea for bail or custody parole to attend the Parliament’s monsoon session. The final order will be pronounced on July 21 amid ongoing terror funding trial.
New Delhi: A Delhi court has postponed its decision regarding Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid’s request to attend the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on July 21.
Additional sessions judge Chander Jit Singh will issue the order on the same date concerning the Baramulla MP’s plea for either interim bail or custody parole to fulfill his responsibilities as a parliamentarian.
Custody parole allows a prisoner to be accompanied by armed police personnel during their release. Rashid has been held at Tihar jail since 2019 after his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, linked to a 2017 terror funding case.
Notably, he triumphed over Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Currently, Rashid is on trial for allegations of funding separatist groups and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir. His name emerged during the interrogation of businessman and co-accused Zahoor Watali, as stated in the NIA’s FIR.
After being chargesheeted in October 2019, a special NIA court formulated charges against Rashid and others in March 2022 under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government), and 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, along with offenses related to terrorist activities and funding under the UAPA.
Engineer Rashid has been incarcerated since 2019 after being charged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) of 1967 in an alleged terror funding case.
He currently held in Tihar Jail.
Rashid’s involvement surfaced during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, whom the NIA arrested for allegedly financing terrorist groups and separatists in the region.
The NIA filed a charge sheet against several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.
In 2022, Malik sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court after he pleaded guilty to the charges.In 2005, Rashid arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar on charges of supporting militants.
He subsequently jailed for three months and 17 days. A severe charge of anti-national activities slapped on him during this period. Rashid was confined in various prisons, including Cargo, Humhama, and Raj Bagh.
Later, in a significant turn of events, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar dropped all charges against Rashid on humanitarian grounds. This legal relief marked a pivotal moment in his life and political career. Despite these challenges, Rashid’s resilience and determination continued to shine through.
In August 2019, Rashid faced another major legal challenge when he arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Despite being in jail, Rashid remained undeterred and filed his nomination form for the 2024 parliamentary elections. His campaign, run from behind bars, resonated with the electorate, resulting in a landslide victory.
Rashid won by a significant margin of two lakh four thousand votes, defeating Omar Abdullah, a prominent political figure and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
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