NIA counsel seeks time to take instructions on Er Rashid's bail plea

New Delhi, Nov 21: The National Investigation Agency on Friday sought time to take instructions on the plea of jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid, who sought to attend the upcoming Parliament session in December.

The counsel for the federal agency sought an adjournment to take instructions before Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma, who listed the matter for further proceedings on November 26.

The application filed by advocate Vikhyat Oberoi appearing for Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, on Tuesday had sought interim bail or custody parole on the grounds that Rashid was a parliamentarian and needed to attend the upcoming session to fulfil his public duty.

The court had then sought the agency's response on the plea.

Engineer Rashid defeated Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla.

The court had earlier granted Rashid custody parole between July 24 and August 4 to attend the monsoon session of Parliament.

It also granted him interim bail to campaign during the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.

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

Rashid's name cropped up 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 filed a chargesheet against several persons, 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 in 2022 after pleading guilty to the charges against him.