New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a bail plea of Bramulla Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid in a terror funding case.
Rashid, who is lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after being arrested by the NIA in the 2017 terror funding case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, has sought bail on the ground of delay in trial and his inability to perform his duty as a Lok Sabha MP.
Rashid has also sought bail to enable him to attend the Lok Sabha sessions
Rashid has also sought bail to enable him to attend the Lok Sabha sessions, saying his presence in Parliament was imperative as he represented 45 per cent of the Kashmir Valley and he had been assigned the role to act as a bridge between the Parliament and the people of his constituency.
A bench comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar issued notice to the NIA on Baramulla MP’s bail plea against a March 21 trial court order refusing to grant him regular bail.
High Court also sought NIA’s response on Rashid’s separate plea challenging framing of charges
The High Court has also sought the response of the NIA on a separate plea of Rashid challenging the framing of charges in the case.
The counsel appearing for the NIA told the High Court that it would file its response to Rashid’s bail plea but objected to the maintainability of Rashid’s plea challenging framing of charge in the case on the ground of “substantial delay” in filing the appeal against the framing of charges.
The court clarified that NIA should restrict itself in its reply against the framing of charges only to the question of a delay of around 1,100 days, news agency PTI reported.
The court would further hear the matter on July 29.
