Delhi Court to Continue Hearing on Interim Bail Plea of Engineer Rashid, Elected MP, for Oath-Taking Amid 2016 Terror Funding Case
Engineer Rashid Seeks Interim Bail to Take Oath as MP; Delhi Court to Hear Further Arguments on 2016 Terror Funding Charges
New Delhi, 21-06-2024 : A Delhi court is scheduled to continue hearing arguments on Saturday regarding an interim bail application filed by Engineer Rashid, who was arrested in connection with a 2016 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case. Rashid seeks temporary release to take his oath as a Member of Parliament (MP).
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, known as Engineer Rashid, ran as an independent candidate and secured a victory over former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had earlier set June 22 as the date for further hearings and directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to inform the court of the scheduled dates for Rashid’s oath-taking. The court was informed that the newly elected MPs would take their oaths on June 24, 25, and 26.
Rashid has petitioned the court for interim bail or, alternatively, custody parole to take his oath and fulfill his parliamentary duties. He has been in Tihar jail since 2019 after being charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the alleged terror funding case. His arrest came about following the interrogation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was accused of financing terrorist groups and separatists in the Valley.
The NIA’s charge sheet implicated several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Yasin Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pled guilty to the charges against him.
