New Delhi: A Delhi court is expected to hear more arguments on Saturday on an application filed by Engineer Rasheed, who was detained in a 2016 Jammu and Kashmir militant funding case and is seeking temporary relief to take oath as an MP.
Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, also known as Engineer Rasheed, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of the National Conference in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Baramulla while running as an independent.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had on Tuesday fixed the matter for hearing on June 22 and directed the NIA to inform the court about the likely date for his oath-taking.
The judge passed the directions after he was informed that the newly elected Lok Sabha MPs will take oath on June 24, 25 and 26.
Rasheed has moved the court seeking interim bail, or custody parole in the alternative, to take oath and perform his parliamentary functions.
Engineer Rasheed has been in jail since 2019 after he was charged by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the alleged militant funding case. He is at present lodged in Tihar jail.
The former MLA’s name cropped up during the interrogation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who the NIA had arrested for allegedly funding militant groups and separatists in the Valley.
The NIA had filed a charge sheet against several individuals, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in the case.
Malik was awarded life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges. (PTI)