The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in response to a regular bail plea filed by Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, the newly elected MP from Baramulla. Rashid, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with a 2017 terror funding case. He is appealing a trial court order from March 21 that denied his bail. Additionally, he has filed a second appeal contesting the charges framed against him.
During the court proceedings, the NIA highlighted a delay of 1,104 days in filing Rashid’s appeal, arguing that delays beyond 90 days cannot be legally condoned. Rashid’s legal team, however, argued that the delay should be allowed, citing the seriousness of the case involving fundamental rights to life and liberty. The court has agreed to hear the condonation plea and scheduled the matter for July 29, 2025.
Rashid was arrested in August 2019 and, while in custody, contested and won the 2024 parliamentary election by defeating Omar Abdullah. The NIA has framed charges against Rashid and other separatist leaders in a broader terror financing case involving groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The agency alleges that these outfits, with support from Pakistan’s ISI, used Hurriyat networks and hawala channels to fund violence, protests, and attacks aimed at destabilising Jammu and Kashmir.
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