Sheikh Abdul Rashid, the President of the Awami Ittehad Party and MP from Baramulla, known as Engineer Rashid, surrendered to Tihar Jail on Monday after his interim bail in a terror-funding case expired.
The Delhi Court has postponed its decision on his regular bail application until November 19.
Engineer Rashid was initially granted interim bail on September 10, which was extended until October 28 due to concerns over his father’s health.
On October 15, the court had once again deferred its decision regarding his regular bail plea in the 2017 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh issued the latest order, citing Rashid’s father’s health condition, after the NIA confirmed it had reviewed the relevant documents and was not opposing the extension.
Rashid’s counsel indicated that this would be the final request for an extension, emphasizing that there had been no allegations of any violations of bail conditions.
Rashid had been incarcerated in Tihar Jail since 2019 following his arrest by the NIA under UAPA charges in the ongoing terror funding case. His interim bail had previously been granted to facilitate his campaign for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The elections for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly took place in three phases from September 18 to October 1, with results announced on October 8.
The National Conference-Congress alliance secured a clear majority, winning 48 seats. In this election, Rashid’s brother, Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh, of the Awami Ittehad Party, won the Langate constituency by a narrow margin of 1,602 votes.
The charges against Engineer Rashid include collaborating with separatists and Pakistani operatives to incite disaffection towards India in Kashmir. He is accused of coercing the Jammu and Kashmir police to disregard orders from their superiors, claiming such orders would lead to atrocities against Kashmiris.
