Delhi court on Tuesday (June 18) deferred the decision on the interim bail plea of Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid, who won the Lok Sabha Elections from the Baramulla constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, till June 22, and sought the National Investigation Agency's reply on the matter. Rashid, who is lodged in the jail in connection with a terror funding case, had sought an interim bail to take part in the swearing-in ceremony as an MP in the Parliament.
The Patiala House Court in the national capital asked the NIA to file a reply stating on which date Rashid has to take oath.
Notably, the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled to begin on June 24 when new members of the Lower House will take oath. President Droupadi Murmu will address the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on June 27.
Who is Engineer Rashid?
Rashid won the Lok Sabha Election in Baramulla as an Independent candidate, beating National Conference leader and former J-K CM Omar Abdullah. Rashid was arrested in connection with a Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case. He was held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Rashid's indulgence in the case came to the fore during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali who was arrested by the NIA in charge of financing terrorist groups and Kashmiri separatists. The names which the NIA included in its chargesheet included Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.
Baramulla Lok Sabha Election
National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah was defeated by Independent candidate Engineer Rashid in Baramulla seat. Rashid defeated Abdullah by a margin of 2,04,142 votes. While Rashid garnered 4,72,481 votes, Abdullah was polled 2,68,339 votes. Sajjad Gani Lone ended up as second runner up with 1,73,239 total votes polled.
