Delhi court issues order for release of LS MP Engineer Rashid

New Delhi, Sep 11: A Delhi court on Wednesday issued an order for the release of Lok Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Engineer Rashid, a day after he was granted interim bail in a terror funding case.

Hours later he walked out of jail and was welcomed by his sons and supporters.

Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh granted Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, the interim relief to enable him to campaign in the assembly elections in the union territory.

The judge, meanwhile, posted for October 5 the order on the regular bail plea of Rashid in the case.

Rashid had defeated former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate.

His outfit Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) is contesting the assembly elections.

Elections are scheduled to be held for the 90-member legislative assembly of the restive union territory in three phases from September 18 to October 1. The results will be declared on October 8.

The ASJ on Tuesday ordered his release on interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and one surety of the like amount. He also imposed certain conditions on him, including that he will not speak to media about the case, and not influence the witnesses or the probe.

The judge directed Rashid to surrender before the jail concerned on October 3. He was lodged in Tihar jail.

On July 5, the court had granted Rashid custody parole to take the oath as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.

Rashid's name cropped up in the case during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir valley.

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

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