The Patiala House Court in Delhi has extended the interim bail of Engineer Rashid, an independent Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, until October 28, 2024, in connection with a terror funding case. The extension was granted on medical grounds concerning Rashid’s father.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh ordered Rashid to surrender to jail authorities by 12 noon on October 28. The court also postponed the decision on Rashid’s regular bail plea until the same date. Previously, the judge had granted Rashid interim bail on September 10 to allow him to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) verified the medical documents related to Rashid’s father and did not oppose the extension of his interim bail.
Engineer Rashid has a controversial history. In 2005, he was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants and spent over three months in custody. Although he faced charges of anti-national activities, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar later dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds.
In August 2019, Rashid was arrested again under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Despite being incarcerated, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail, winning by a significant margin of 204,000 votes against former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
