Court (representative image)
– Photo : Amar Ujala.
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A Delhi court has fixed June 18 to hear arguments on the plea of Engineer Rashid, arrested in the 2016 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case, seeking interim bail to take oath as MP after the recently concluded elections.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Rashid contested the election as an independent candidate to defeat the National Conference (NC) vice-president. He is also a former MLA from the Union Territory.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jeet Singh fixed June 18 as the date for the case after the NIA sought time to file a reply to Rashid’s application. The NIA said on June 7 that the notification for the oath taking of the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha has not been published yet. The judge adjourned the case saying that if the notification for the ceremony comes before the next date, the accused can approach the court with a plea for early disposal of the case.
Rashid had moved the court seeking interim bail or custody parole as an option to take oath and carry out his parliamentary work. He has been in jail since 2019 after being charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention), 1967 Act (UAPA) by the NIA in the alleged terror funding case. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.