New Delhi, 24 April (H.S.):

A Delhi court on Friday rejected an interim‑bail application moved by Baramulla Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, who had sought custody parole to visit his critically ill father. Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma dismissed the plea in the Patiala House Courts complex.

The court had reserved its order on April 22, after Rashid’s lawyers argued that his father was unwell and on ventilator support and that compassion warranted brief release from Tihar Jail.

During the hearing, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) counsel suggested that Rashid could at best be considered for custody parole, but the court ultimately declined any such relief.

This is not the first time Rashid has approached the court on grounds of family hardship. Earlier, the same court had extended his interim bail on account of his father’s failing health, subject to surrender by a specified date.

Separately, the court had previously allowed him to attend Parliament sessions while in custody, permitting his presence in the winter session from January 28 to April 2; the court had also earlier granted him similar access during the November 2025 session.

Rashid was arrested by the NIA in 2016 in a terror‑funding probe, and has since remained in judicial custody in Tihar Jail. In March 2022, the Patiala House Court framed charges against several accused, including Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah, Masarat Alam, Rashid, Zahoor Ahmad Wataly, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah (Avtar), Nayeem Khan, Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Pir Sehulullah, and others, under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The NIA alleges that outfits such as Lashkar‑e‑Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, JKLF, and Jaish‑e‑Mohammed, operating with support from Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI), carried out attacks on civilians and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as acts of violence and arson.

The NIA further claims that Hafiz Saeed, in coordination with Hurriyat leaders, used hawala and other channels to transfer funds for terrorism, which were then utilised to foment unrest, attack security forces, set fire to schools, and damage public property.

After receiving intelligence that such activities were still ongoing, the NIA registered a case under IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the Government of India), 121A, and under UAPA Sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorism), 17 (raising funds), 18 (conspiracy), 20, 38, 39, and 40, among others.

Rashid, a former engineering‑college teacher, defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla by a margin of nearly 100,000 votes, while already facing trial in the terror‑funding case.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar