Delhi Court to Hear Further Arguments in Engineer Rashid’s Plea on June 22

Delhi’s Patiala House Court has scheduled further arguments for June 22 on an application filed by Engineer Rashid, who was arrested in a 2016 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case, seeking interim bail to take the oath as an MP.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla.

Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh directed the NIA to inform the court about the likely date for his oath-taking. The judge passed these directions after being informed that the newly elected Lok Sabha MPs will take their oaths on June 24, 25, and 26.

Engineer Rashid has moved the court seeking interim bail or custody parole as an alternative, to take the oath and perform his parliamentary functions. Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after being charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the alleged terror funding case. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail.

The former MLA’s name surfaced during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who the NIA arrested for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Valley.

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 the case. In 2022, Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court after he pleaded guilty to the charges.

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