New Delhi, Jan 30 (KNS): The Delhi High Court has sought the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) response to a plea by Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer, who is seeking interim bail in a terror-funding case to attend Parliament.
Justice Vikas Mahajan directed the necessary steps to be taken before the next hearing. Rashid, elected from Baramulla in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has requested bail to participate in the Budget Session from January 31 to April 4. Alternatively, he has sought custody parole for the session.
His plea is part of an ongoing petition for bail in the case, urging either a swift decision from the trial court or intervention from the High Court. During the hearing, Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the NIA, said he would seek instructions on the matter.
The legal proceedings have been complicated by jurisdictional issues. In December, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had referred the case to a designated MP/MLA court.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelHowever, the district judge returned it, and the trial judge ruled that he could only address miscellaneous applications, not the bail plea. Rashid’s lawyer argued that this left him without legal recourse and that his continued detention was leaving his parliamentary constituency unrepresented.
The NIA has cited serious charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Rashid has been in Tihar Jail since 2019 after being arrested in a 2017 terror-funding case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also filed a money laundering case linked to the NIA's FIR, which names Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin, and others for allegedly conspiring to wage war against the Indian government.
The case now awaits further action from the High Court.(KNS)