Delhi High Court Deliberates on Engineer Rashid's Custody Parole Request
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Synopsis
The Delhi High Court has reserved its verdict on Engineer Rashid's plea for custody parole to attend the Budget Session. Rashid, accused in a terror funding case, seeks to participate in the ongoing legislative proceedings.
Key Takeaways
- The Delhi High Court is reviewing Engineer Rashid's plea for custody parole.
- Rashid is accused of terror funding and currently in Tihar Jail.
- He previously won a Lok Sabha election while incarcerated.
- The Budget Session runs from March 10 to April 4.
- The NIA has been asked to respond to Rashid's plea.
New Delhi, March 25 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has opted to reserve its ruling on a petition submitted by J&K MP Engineer Rashid, who is seeking custody parole to participate in the current Budget Session discussions.
The latter part of the Budget Session commenced on March 10 and is set to conclude on April 4.
Engineer Rashid, who secured victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, defeating Omar Abdullah, the National Conference Vice President and current Chief Minister, by a margin exceeding two lakh votes while incarcerated in Tihar Jail, is under investigation for a terror funding case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A bench led by Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Anup Jairam Bhambhani has reserved its judgment after hearing arguments from the representatives of the anti-terror agency and Engineer Rashid’s attorney.
Engineer Rashid has appealed to the Delhi High Court against the ruling passed by the special NIA court on March 10, which denied him custody parole, labeling the city court's decision as “erroneous”.
The Delhi HC has issued a notice regarding Engineer Rashid’s request, seeking a response from the NIA regarding his release on custody parole and directed the federal agency to submit any objections before March 17.
Previously, a single-judge bench led by Justice Vikas Mahajan granted custody parole to Engineer Rashid for February 11 and 13, imposing several conditions.
After the Delhi High Court ruling, Rashid attended the Parliament session under heavy police protection.
As per the order from the Justice Mahajan-led bench, Engineer Rashid was instructed not to engage with any individuals apart from his specified obligation to attend the House and was prohibited from addressing the media in any form.
In November of the previous year, a court had refrained from ruling on the application for standard bail, suggesting that the District Judge transfer his case to the MP/MLA court due to Rashid's status as an MP. Following this, Engineer Rashid approached the Delhi High Court, requesting that directions be given to the trial court judge to expedite the decision on his pending bail application or to resolve the matter itself.
Subsequent to the Supreme Court’s clarification regarding court designation, the Delhi High Court instructed the special NIA court to adjudicate on Engineer Rashid’s bail request.
Last week, the Patiala House court in Delhi dismissed Engineer Rashid’s plea for regular bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Additional District Judge Chander Jit Singh delivered the verdict in court, stating: “The bail plea has been dismissed.”
