Delhi High Court Rejects Engineer Rashid's Appeal in Terror Case

The Delhi High Court dismissed an appeal by Engineer Rashid, a jailed MP from Baramulla, challenging charges in a terror funding case. Rashid, arrested in 2019 under the UAPA, faces allegations of funding separatists. The court allowed Rashid custody parole to attend Parliament's Budget Session.

The Delhi High Court has turned down a plea by incarcerated Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, which challenged the framing of charges in a terror funding case. Rashid, representing Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla constituency, has been facing allegations that connect him with the funding of separatists and terror groups in the region.

Rashid, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 elections, was arrested in 2019 after the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) probe into a 2017 terror funding case linked him to businessman Zahoor Watali. The special NIA court charged Rashid with criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government, and sedition, alongside terror-related accusations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Despite being lodged in Tihar jail, the Delhi court has granted Rashid custody parole, allowing him to participate in the Budget Session of Parliament, which commenced on Wednesday. Custody parole enables prisoners to attend specific events under strict police supervision.

(With inputs from agencies.)