The Delhi High Court granted two-day custody parole to jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Rashid Engineer to attend the ongoing Parliament session. Justice Vikas Mahajan said the Baramulla MP could attend the Parliament session on February 11 and 13.
It is pertinent to mention that custody parole entails a prisoner being escorted by armed police personnel to the place of visit.
What does the court say?
The High Court ruled that Rashid would be prohibited from using a mobile phone or the internet. Additionally, he will not engage with anyone beyond his limited responsibility of attending Parliament. The court also specified that the MP must refrain from any interaction with the media.
The Baramulla MP is currently on trial in a terror funding case, facing allegations of financing separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir. The court reserved its order on his custody parole on February 7.
Rashid approached the High Court, claiming he was left without legal recourse after the NIA court handling his bail application failed to take a decision following his election to the Lok Sabha last year. He argued that the NIA court was not a designated special MP/MLA court.
As an interim relief, he sought custody parole.
What is the case?
Rashid was elected from the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror-funding case. Cases of the NIA and the ED also involve Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin and others.
The ED filed a money laundering case against the accused persons on the basis of the NIA’s FIR, which accused them of “conspiring to wage war against the government” and fomenting trouble in the Kashmir valley.
The charges against Engineer Rashid include allegations of collaborating with separatists and operatives from Pakistan to instigate disaffection towards India in Kashmir. He has also been accused of threatening local police officers, urging them to disregard orders from their superiors, claiming that such orders contributed to the oppression of Kashmiris. The case has continued to garner significant attention amid ongoing discussions about governance and security in the region.
Also Read: Tirupati Laddu row: CBI’s SIT arrests four in adulteration case | Know what probe revealed so far
Also Read: Sonia Gandhi expresses concern over population census, demands Centre to conduct it at earliest