New Delhi. A Delhi court has asked the NIA to respond by July 1 to a plea filed by Engineer Rashid, arrested in a 2017 case of terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, seeking interim bail to take oath as a member of Parliament. Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta on Saturday fixed the hearing of the case for July 1 and directed the NIA to file its reply by the said deadline. During the hearing, the judge said that the allegations against Rashid are different from the allegations against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh. Singh is an accused in the money laundering case related to the Delhi Excise scam.
The judge made this remark in response to the argument of Rashid’s lawyer. The lawyer told the court that Singh was recently granted ‘custody parole’ to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member. The judge accepted the NIA’s request for time to file a reply. Advocate V. Oberoi, while advocating for Rashid’s release on bail, said that Rashid has won the election, people love him and want him to represent them in Parliament.
The lawyer said, “It is my (Rashid’s) constitutional duty to take oath. I have to plead with him to take oath. This is really shameful. The court should direct the jail authorities to contact the Lok Sabha Secretariat, direct the NIA to contact the Lok Sabha Secretariat, or direct the Lok Sabha Secretariat to fix a date for Rashid to take oath.”
The newly elected Lok Sabha members are to take oath on June 24, 25 and 26. Rashid has sought interim bail or alternatively custody parole to take oath and perform parliamentary work. Rashid has been in jail since 2019, when the NIA registered a case against him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged involvement in financing terrorism. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Tags: Delhi Court, jammu kashmir, Lok Sabha Elections, NIA Court, omar abdullah, Tihar Jail
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 22, 2024, 17:57 IST