NIA Court Extends Interim Bail Of Rashid Engineer Till Oct 12

Delhi’s special NIA court has extended the interim bail of parliamentarian Rashid Engineer until October 12 in a terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency.

The court has instructed him to surrender on October 13.

Previously granted interim bail, which was set to expire on October 2, this extension gives Engineer additional time before he must comply with the court’s order. His interim bail was initially permitted to facilitate his campaigning for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

Engineer had requested a three-month interim bail while his regular bail application remains pending before the court, with a decision expected on October 5.

His counsel, Vikhyat Oberoi, argued that the interim bail is essential for his election campaigning and to fulfill his duties as a parliamentarian.

The NIA has opposed Engineer’s regular bail plea, asserting that as a Member of Parliament, he might misuse his position to influence witnesses and obstruct justice. They cited a confidential report indicating that he had previously misused phone privileges in Tihar Central Jail, leading to restrictions on his communications. The agency expressed concerns that he might similarly exploit his freedom if released on bail.

They also highlighted Engineer’s defense of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks, as a “political cause,” suggesting troubling ties to extremist narratives. The NIA contends that Engineer is part of a strategy by Pakistani and secessionist groups to frame terrorist acts as political struggles, aiming to incite separatism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Given these factors, they urged the Patiala House Court to deny his bail application.

The court has reserved its order on Engineer Rashid’s bail plea linked to the 2017 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case. Recently winning the Baramulla seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Engineer is seeking bail as his case unfolds.

Additional Sessions Judge Chanderjit Singh reserved the decision after a detailed in-camera hearing.

Rashid Engineer was arrested in connection with the 2017 terror funding case and has submitted a second regular bail application in the same court.

Earlier, he was granted a two-hour custody parole on July 5 to take the oath as a Member of Parliament.

Engineer Rashid’s political history includes an arrest by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar in 2005 for allegedly supporting militants. He faced charges of anti-national activities but was released after the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar dropped all charges on humanitarian grounds.

Previously in August 2019, he was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Remarkably, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes against Omar Abdullah.

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