A Delhi court on Tuesday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to the application filed by parliamentarian Rashid Engineer seeking regular bail. Sessions additional judge Chanderjeet Singh has now posted the matter for the hearing on the arguments on August 28.
Earlier, the court allowed Rashid custody parole to take the oath of office on July 5th.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, was arrested in Jammu & Kashmir terrorist funding case in 2017. He got elected from Baramulla in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with a victory over former chief minister and National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah.
Table of Contents
What was the case?
The Engineer Rashid case relates to former MLA of Jammu and Kashmir state Sheikh Abdul Rashid also called Engineer Rashid who was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in August 2019. He was arrested for being involved in terror funding case related to his links to the Hizbul Mujahideen. According to the prosecution, Rashid used to get money from his handlers in Pakistan for financing terrorist operations in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. His arrest was in connection with a campaign of raids on separatists and terror financing networks. This case brought into focus the fact that local politicians finance terrorism in the region, according to reports.
The influential Kashmiri politician was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) with reference to the terror funding case. Despite imprisonment, he contested and won 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla constituency as independent candidate where former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was his competitor.
Rashid’s timeline in the jail
The arrest of Engineer Rashid was made soon after a series of interrogation sessions in relation to his involvement in the separatist activities and the funding networks associated with different militant groups. After his arrest, Rashid was detained in Tihar Jail in Delhi. The NIA proceeded with the investigation, during which Rashid was allegedly administered intense interrogation and long hours of detention under the tough provisions of the UAPA.
All his bail applications were denied, causing him to be held for a long time in custody. During this period, Rashid was detained without even a charge sheet being filed against him for several months, which again is not an uncommon situation when one is detained under UAPA as the legislation empowers the investigating agencies. Even when he sought bail from the courts, his legal representatives did not manage to get him a bail given the seriousness of the charges preferred against him. Nonetheless, Rashid’s political allies and human rights organisations protested that his arrest was politically motivated.
After years of hearings, in 2022, Engineer Rashid was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The court convicted him for terror funding and his conviction was followed up as major achievement toward the official crackdown against individuals purported of supporting militancy in Jammu and Kashmir region.
Current Scenario
The Kashmiri parliamentarian Rashid Engineer filed a plea in Delhi’s Patiala House Court seeking regular bail for the second time. The court seeks National Investigation Agency’s response in the matter.
A notice has been issued to the NIA and the Additional Sessions Judge Chanderjeet Singh fixed 28 August as the date for arguments on his bail plea.
Meanwhile, his brother has also quit his job in government sector in kashmir to help strengthen the party headed by his brother, namely Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), ahead of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections.
