Delhi High Court Permits Engineer Rashid to Join Parliament Sessions
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Synopsis
The Delhi High Court has authorized J&K MP Engineer Rashid to attend the Budget Session, amid ongoing legal challenges related to a terror funding case. Despite his incarceration during the elections, Rashid's significant victory highlights his political influence. The court's decision reflects its consideration of his rights as a parliamentarian.
Key Takeaways
- Delhi HC allows Engineer Rashid to attend Parliament.
- Rashid won against Omar Abdullah while in jail.
- He is accused in a terror funding case by NIA.
- Previous bail application was rejected by the court.
- Conditions imposed on his participation in sessions.
New Delhi, Mar 26 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has granted permission for J&K MP Engineer Rashid to participate in the ongoing Budget Session proceedings.
The latter part of the Budget Session commenced on March 10 and is set to conclude on April 4.
Engineer Rashid, who won his Lok Sabha seat from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir by defeating National Conference Vice President and current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin exceeding two lakh votes, was still in Tihar Jail at the time of his victory. He faces allegations in a terror funding case under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A bench consisting of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Anup Jairam Bhambhani reserved its decision after considering the arguments presented by both the NIA's counsel and Engineer Rashid’s attorney.
Engineer Rashid has appealed to the Delhi High Court against an order from March 10 issued by the special NIA court, which denied him custody parole. In his appeal, he described the city court’s ruling as “erroneous.”
The Delhi HC issued a notice regarding the appeal, requesting a response from the NIA on his custody parole request and asking the agency to submit any objections by March 17.
Previously, a single-judge Bench led by Justice Vikas Mahajan had granted Engineer Rashid custody parole for February 11 and 13 to attend Parliament, while imposing several conditions.
Following the Delhi High Court ruling, the J&K MP attended the Parliament session under tight police security.
According to the order from the Justice Mahajan-led Bench, Engineer Rashid was instructed to refrain from engaging with anyone other than fulfilling his responsibilities in the House and was prohibited from addressing the media.
In November of the prior year, rather than ruling on his application for regular bail, a court recommended that the District Judge transfer his case to the MP/MLA court due to Engineer Rashid's status as an MP.
Subsequently, Engineer Rashid approached the Delhi High Court, seeking directions for the trial court judge to expedite his pending regular bail application or for the matter to be resolved directly. After the Supreme Court clarified the issue concerning court designation, the Delhi High Court instructed the special NIA court to address Engineer Rashid’s bail request.
Last week, the Patiala House court in Delhi denied Engineer Rashid’s regular bail application filed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The decision was rendered by Additional District Judge Chander Jit Singh, stating: "The bail plea dismissed".
