Delhi High Court Seeks NIA's Response On MP Engineer Rashid's Plea For Custody Parole To Attend Parliament Budget Session

Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court order denying him custody parole in a terror funding case registered under UAPA.

Rashid has sought custody parole in order to enable him to attend the ongoing Parliament session.

A division bench comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta sought response of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and listed the matter for hearing on March 18.

Rashid has challenged an order passed by special NIA court denying him custody parole on March 10. In the trial court, he sought the relief on the ground that being he needed to attend the session to fulfil his public duty being a parliamentarian.

Senior Advocate N Hariharan appeared for Rashid and submitted that the ongoing parliamentary sessions would end on April 04 and that he was granted custody parole by the Court to attend the previous session for two days.

On the other hand, counsel Akshai Malik appearing for NIA submitted that the earlier relief was granted to Rashid in view of different circumstances that there was no designated NIA court, which is not the situation now.

“Issue notice…. Let the objection if, if any, to the appeal be placed before the court on Monday. List for consideration on Tuesday,” the Bench said.

In February, a single judge of the High Court had granted Rashid custody parole for two days in order to enable him to attend the parliament.

Later, the Court had asked the Special NIA Court to decide Rashid's bail plea expeditiously. Subsequently, the trial court has now listed order on his regular bail plea on March 19 while denying him custody parole.

Rashid was elected from the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror-funding case.

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

Title: Abdul Rashid Sheikh v. NIA