Delhi Court asks NIA to respond to Engineer Rashid’s bail plea

Srinagar, Aug 21: A Delhi court has asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond by August 28 to an application seeking regular bail for jailed Kashmiri parliamentarian Engineer Rashid.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Chander Jit Singh issued notice to the NIA on the application filed by Rashid, who was arrested in a 2017 terror funding case.

The notice was issued to the agency on August 20 for its response to be filed by August 28.

Rashid, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls for Baramulla constituency from jail, defeated former chief minister and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah.

The court had earlier granted Rashid custody parole to take the oath of office on July 5.

Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the alleged terror funding case.

He is currently lodged at Tihar Jail.

The NIA had filed a chargesheet against several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in the case.

Malik was awarded life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.