Delhi Court To Pass Order On Engineer Rashid Plea To Attend Parliament On March 7

A Delhi court on Wednesday has reserved its verdict on jailed Jammu & Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid’s plea for custody parole to attend the upcoming Parliament session.

Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh set March 7 as the date for the decision after hearing arguments on the matter.

Rashid’s application, filed by advocate Vikhyat Oberoi on February 27, argues that as a sitting parliamentarian, he must be present at the upcoming session to fulfill his public duties. The second part of Parliament’s budget session is scheduled to run from March 10 to April 4.

Legal Proceedings

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, secured a major political victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Baramulla.

However, he remains incarcerated in Tihar Jail, where he has been lodged since 2019 following his arrest by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a 2017 terror funding case.

His regular bail application is still pending before the court. On February 24, the Delhi High Court directed the sessions judge to expedite the decision on his bail plea. The directive follows a December 24, 2024, order, in which the sessions court requested the district judge to transfer the case to a court designated for lawmakers.

Previously, on September 10, the court granted Rashid interim bail, allowing him to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. However, he surrendered on October 27 and has remained in Tihar Jail since.

2017 Terror Funding Case

Rashid’s name surfaced during the NIA’s investigation into Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested for allegedly financing terrorist organizations and separatist groups in Kashmir. NIA’s chargesheet implicated several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Malik later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022.

With the next Parliament session approaching, the court’s March 7 ruling on Rashid’s plea will determine whether he will be allowed to participate in legislative proceedings or continue serving his jail term without parole.

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