J&K polls: Bail for jailed MP Engineer Rashid for campaigning
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former CM Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla
A Delhi court on Tuesday (September 10) granted interim bail till October 2 to Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid in a terror funding case.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh granted the relief to Rashid, who had moved the court seeking interim bail to campaign in the upcoming Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections.
Verdict on regular bail reserved
The judge said, “I am granting interim bail till October 2. He will have to surrender on October 3.” The judge granted Rashid the relief on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and one surety of the like amount.
The judge also imposed various conditions on him, including that he shall not influence the witnesses or the probe.
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. He is lodged in Tihar jail.
The court has reserved for Wednesday its order on his regular bail application.
‘Not to serve people’
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said “the bail is not to serve the people of north Kashmir but to get votes.”
Talking to reporters, Omar said: “I feel sorry for the people of Baramulla. This bail is not to serve the people of north Kashmir but to get votes. After polls, Rashid will be lodged back in Tihar again. What would be the impact of this decision on people of north Kashmir, we will have to wait for that.”
NIA chargesheet
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 chargesheet 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.
(With agency inputs)
