Synopsis
The Delhi High Court has requested feedback from the NIA on Engineer Rashid's plea for custody parole to attend the Budget Session. Rashid, currently in Tihar Jail, is under investigation for terror funding, having won his election from Baramulla while incarcerated.Key Takeaways
- Delhi High Court requests NIA response.
- Engineer Rashid seeks custody parole for Budget Session.
- Rashid won elections from Baramulla while in jail.
- NIA investigating him for terror funding.
- Next hearing scheduled for March 18.
New Delhi, March 12 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has on Wednesday requested the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to a petition submitted by Lok Sabha member from North Kashmir, Engineer Rashid, who is seeking custody parole to participate in the ongoing Budget Session activities.
The latter half of the Budget Session commenced on Monday and is scheduled to end on April 4. Rashid, who triumphed in the Lok Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency, defeating National Conference (NC) Vice President and current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin exceeding two lakh votes while being held in Tihar Jail, is under investigation by the NIA for a terror funding case.
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta issued a notice to the NIA regarding Engineer Rashid's request, asking the federal anti-terror agency to present any objections by March 17.
The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for March 18.
Engineer Rashid has filed a petition with the Delhi High Court challenging the March 10 ruling from the special NIA court that denied him custody parole.
In his appeal, the Lok Sabha member described the city court’s ruling as “erroneous”.
Previously, a single judge, led by Justice Vikas Mahajan, had granted Engineer Rashid custody parole for February 11 and 13, imposing several conditions.
Following the Delhi High Court’s directive, Rashid attended the Parliamentary session under stringent police protection.
According to the order from the Justice Mahajan-led Bench, Engineer Rashid was instructed not to engage with anyone except for his essential duties in the House and to refrain from addressing the media in any manner.
In November of the previous year, a court here, rather than issuing a decision on the request for regular bail, suggested that the District Judge transfer his case to the MP/MLA court since Rashid had become an MP. Subsequently, Engineer Rashid approached the Delhi High Court, seeking guidance for the trial court judge to expedite a ruling on his pending regular bail application or to decide the issue himself.
Following the Supreme Court’s clarification regarding the court designation, the Delhi High Court instructed the special NIA court to adjudicate Engineer Rashid’s bail plea.
