The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to jailed Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, from June 25 to June 30 to allow him to attend the post-death rituals of his father in Srinagar.
A division bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain passed the order in connection with the terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The court, however, directed Rashid to surrender on June 2 after the expiry of the interim bail earlier granted to him on May 18 for attending his father’s last rites.
During the hearing, Rashid’s senior counsel requested the court to extend the existing interim bail so that the Member of Parliament could participate in ceremonies scheduled on the 40th day after his father’s burial.
Accepting the request partially, the bench said Rashid would be released again from June 25 to June 30 under the same conditions imposed during his earlier interim bail period.
The High Court clarified that after the current interim bail expires on June 2, Rashid must surrender before authorities and return to Tihar Jail.
Earlier, while granting interim bail on May 18, the court had imposed several restrictions, including that Rashid must remain accompanied by at least two plainclothes police personnel throughout his travel from Delhi to Srinagar and back.
The court had also restricted his movement, allowing visits only to the burial ground, places of worship, and his residence during the bail period.
On April 28, the High Court had initially granted him one-week interim bail to meet his ailing father in Srinagar. The relief was later extended till May 10 after his father was shifted to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment.
Engineer Rashid has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2019 after his arrest by the NIA in a 2017 terror funding case. He faces allegations of funding separatist activities and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
In March 2022, a special NIA court framed charges against Rashid and several others under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government, sedition, and sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
