MP Engineer Rashid gets 2-day custody parole to attend Budget session-OxBig News Network

Jammu and Kashmir MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, alias Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with a terror funding case, was on Monday granted a two-day custody parole to attend the ongoing Budget session on February 11 and 13.

However, the Delhi High Court barred Rashid from using mobile phones or accessing the Internet during the parole period. Additionally, he was directed not to interact with anyone outside his parliamentary responsibilities and is prohibited from addressing the media.

J&K former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly reacted to the development, comparing Rashid’s extremely short parole period with that of rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

“Gurmeet Singh, also calling himself Ram Rahim, convicted in rape and murder charges, has been out on parole for months since his imprisonment. Meanwhile, we have the honorable MP Engineer Rashid, who has finally been granted just two days of custody parole to attend Parliament, and that too only by a High Court order. This is truly the ‘mother of democracy’ at work,” she posted on X.

Rashid has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after being arrested by the NIA in a 2017 terror-funding case. He was granted interim bail in September 2024 to campaign for the Assembly elections in J&K. He surrendered to Tihar jail authorities on expiry of his bail on October 28, 2024.

The court had reserved its verdict last week after hearing arguments from senior advocate N Hariharan, who appeared for Rashid, and senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rashid’s main petition regarding his regular bail plea is set for hearing on Tuesday. He has sought an expedited decision on his bail application, arguing that the delay has left him without legal recourse. The legal proceedings became complicated after the Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) handling the UAPA case in December 2023 ruled that only an MP/MLA-designated court could hear Rashid’s regular bail application, following his election as an MP from Baramulla in 2024. The case was subsequently referred to the district judge for further proceedings.