The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) regarding Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer’s plea for interim bail in a terror funding case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Justice Vikas Mahajan directed NIA’s counsel, Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, to obtain instructions on the matter. Rashid has requested interim bail to attend the Parliamentary budget session, which begins on January 31 and concludes on April 4. As an alternative, he has sought custody parole for the duration of the session.
His interim bail application is part of a broader plea urging the trial court to expedite a ruling on his second regular bail application. The High Court had issued notice on the matter on January 23. Rashid has also requested the court to direct the trial judge to accelerate the decision on his pending bail plea. Alternatively, he has asked the High Court to treat his petition as a second regular bail application and rule on it accordingly.
The case took a turn in December 2023 when the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) handling the UAPA matter stated that while it could adjudicate Rashid’s miscellaneous applications, it lacked jurisdiction to decide on his regular bail plea.
The ASJ then requested the District Judge to transfer the case to an MP/MLA-designated court following Rashid’s election to the Lok Sabha from Baramulla in 2024.
Rashid has been in Tihar Jail since 2019 after his arrest by the NIA in connection with a 2017 terror funding case under UAPA. His plea before the High Court now seeks an opportunity to fulfill his parliamentary responsibilities while awaiting a decision on his bail application.
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