The Delhi High Court on Friday postponed its decision on the bail plea of Engineer Rashid, an MP who is currently in jail on charges related to terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir.
Justice Vikas Mahajan listened to both Rashid's lawyer and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) before stating, “Judgement reserved.”
The NIA's lawyer opposed the bail request, arguing that Rashid had no right to attend parliament. They also said that he didn’t provide a clear reason for his request and raised concerns about security in the case.
On the other hand, Rashid's lawyer argued that Rashid’s constituency in J&K wasn’t being represented in parliament, and he should be allowed to attend the sessions. “I represent the largest constituency of J&K. Don’t prevent the representation when the process of inclusion has started… Don’t stifle the voice of the constituency,” his lawyer said.
The court was hearing Rashid’s plea, where he claimed that after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the NIA court left him without any way to address his bail issue.
Earlier, the NIA had opposed Rashid’s request for temporary bail to attend parliament, saying he had no such "right" as a parliament member. In his petition, Rashid asked the high court to either speed up his pending bail request at the NIA court or decide the matter itself.
Rashid has been in Tihar jail since 2019, after the NIA arrested him in connection with a terror-funding case from 2017 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Also Read: Delhi HC seeks NIA stand on letting Er Rashid attend Parliament
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