The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Delhi Police to clarify how it calculated the travel expenses of around ₹4 lakh imposed on Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid for attending Parliament’s monsoon session.
A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Anoop Jairam Bhambhani asked the state to provide a detailed breakup of the calculation, referring to a March 26, 2025 communication from the Delhi Armed Police to the Superintendent of Tihar Jail. The court posted the matter for hearing on August 18 after noting the absence of the Delhi Police counsel.
The court was hearing Rashid’s plea seeking modification of a March 25 order by a coordinate bench, which required him to deposit the amount with jail authorities to be escorted to Parliament while in custody. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) counsel said Delhi Police was best placed to explain the figures, as its battalion was tasked with providing escort.
Rashid’s counsel argued that attending Parliament was not merely a privilege but a legislator’s public duty. “Make it convenient and don’t make it an obstruction for me,” he submitted.
Justice Bhambhani, however, raised concerns about the scope of such permissions, asking where the line would be drawn if similar requests were made for constituency visits, political meetings, or election campaigns. Justice Chaudhary added that while Rashid represents his constituency and the country in Parliament, such reasoning could potentially extend to unrestricted travel across India.
Counsel for Rashid clarified that the request was limited to attending parliamentary sessions, emphasising it as a constitutional duty to represent constituents during sittings.
It has previously been noted on record that the Baramulla MP has so far been billed over ₹17 lakh in travel expenses for attending Parliament. Rashid, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019, is facing trial in a 2017 terror-funding case investigated by the NIA, which alleges he financed separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
