New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (January 23) sought a response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a plea filed by Bramulla Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, seeking disposal of his bail plea in a terror funding case pending before a trial court.
Justice Vikas Mahajan, while issuing notice to the NIA, asked it to file its response on Rashid’s plea before the next date of hearing on January 30.
What did Rashid’s lawyer submit?
Rashid’s counsel, while submitting before the court that his bail plea was pending before a trial court for considerable period of time, urged it to direct either expeditious disposal of his bail plea or decide the matter itself.
“Issue notice. Let reply/ status report be filed,” the High Court said, news agency PTI reported.
Rashid moved trial court last year seeking regular bail
Rashid, who is the chief of the Awami Ittihaad Party, had moved the trial court seeking regular bail in the terror funding case. The trial court heard the plea and reserved its verdict on his plea. It, however, later sent the matter back to the District Judge requesting him for the transfer of the case to a court designated to try lawmakers, since Rashid was now an MP.
Rashid was earlier granted interim bail
A trial court earlier granted Rashid interim bail from September 10 to October 2 last year to enable him to campaign in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections held last year. His interim bail was later extended by the court on the ground of the health condition of his father and he surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities on October 28 last year.
Rashid won from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat
Rashid contested 2024 parliamentary elections from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir and defeated his nearest rival and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He contested the general elections while being lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where he is in judicial custody in the alleged terror funding case.
