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Rashid contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from jail and secured a significant victory, defeating prominent candidates like Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah
Engineer Rashid (centre), the founder of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), is currently lodged in Tihar Jail after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 in connection with a 2017 terror funding case registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). File pic
A Delhi court on Thursday granted permission to jailed Lok Sabha MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, to attend the entire upcoming winter session of Parliament, commencing on December 1, while remaining in custody.
The ruling by additional sessions judge (ASJ) Prashant Sharma at Patiala House Courts ensures that the elected representative from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, can fulfill his constitutional duties despite being incarcerated since 2019.
Engineer Rashid, the founder of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), is currently lodged in Tihar Jail after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 in connection with a 2017 terror funding case registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Remarkably, Rashid contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from jail and secured a significant victory, defeating prominent candidates like Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.
The current application sought either interim bail or custody parole, arguing that as an elected parliamentarian, his duty to represent his constituency during the session, which is the sixth of the 18th Lok Sabha, is paramount. The court’s decision to grant custody parole allows him to be escorted by police to Parliament on all sitting days but requires him to return to Tihar Jail each evening.
The court’s order reiterates the conditions imposed during previous sessions, including the requirement that he attend under strict police escort. A crucial point of contention remains the cost of his travel and security. The NIA had previously estimated the per-day cost for his attendance to be significantly high, which the court had initially directed Rashid to bear.
However, ASJ Sharma clarified that the final responsibility for the travel and security expenses remains subject to the outcome of an appeal already pending before the Delhi HC. The final determination of who pays the substantial security bill will be decided by the High Court in the coming weeks.
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
November 28, 2025, 05:23 IST
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