A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on September 4 its order on an application by Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid, who has been in jail since 2019, seeking regular bail in a 2017 Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.
Engineer Rashid, as the people's former Chief Minister and National Conference Leader Omar Abdullah is better known, tasted defeat in the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. During the in-camera proceedings - which implies not open to public - a plea in the matter came up for hearing before Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh who reserved the order on his bail application on Wednesday.
NIA opposes bail plea of Rashid in SC The National Investigation Agency informed the Supreme Court that JNU student Sharjeel Imam's close associate Meeran Haider might influence the witnesses and tamper with evidence to thwart the cause of justice. The federal anti-terror agency has slapped Rashid with charges under the anti-terror law UAPA, claiming he used the telephone facilities while lodged in the Tihar Central Jail which led the authorities to impose restriction on his privileges as prisoner to make calls.
The NIA opposed the bail application, saying that he would misuse his liberty if released on bail. The agency alleged that Rashid had defended 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's activities as a "political cause," indicative of a worrying alignment with extremist worldviews.
The NIA accused Rashid of also conspiring with Pakistan-based groups to create terrorist acts as a part of political struggle, and for instigating and provoking the "bandwagon for secession" from India, with the eventual aim of dislodging the democratically elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. The judge had, on August 20, issued notice to the NIA and directed it to consider the response to his petition by August 28.
The court had earlier granted custody parole to Rashid to take the oath as an MP on July 5. Rashid has been lodged in jail since 2019 when NIA booked him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the alleged terror funding case. It will be held in Tihar jail.
The former MLA's name figured during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, arrested by the NIA for alleged funding of terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir Valley. The NIA had filed a charge sheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in the case.
Malik was sentenced to imprisonment till life by the trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
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