Jammu and Kashmir Member of Parliament, Rashid Engineer, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail in connection with a terror-funding case. The plea is to enable his attendance at the upcoming budget session of Parliament, scheduled from January 31 to April 4.
Engineer, who represents the Baramulla constituency, has been in custody since 2019 after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for his alleged involvement in a 2017 terror-funding case. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
In his plea, Engineer has requested either interim bail or custody parole for the duration of the Parliament session, arguing that his continued detention prevents him from representing his constituency effectively. The matter is set to be heard by the Delhi High Court on January 30, following a directive from the court on January 23 asking the NIA to clarify its position on the case.
The issue of jurisdiction over his bail application arose after the Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, who initially handled the case, referred it to another court meant to try lawmakers. This resulted in confusion over which court was appropriate to hear the case, as the designated MP/MLA court was not authorized to handle NIA-related matters. Rashid’s senior counsel has expressed concern over the unexpected judicial stance that left the MP without proper legal redress.
The NIA and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are investigating the case, which also involves high-profile names such as Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin. The agencies have accused them of conspiring to wage war against the government and stirring unrest in the Kashmir valley.
