Delhi High Court Issues Notice To NIA In Rashid Engineer’s Bail Plea

The Delhi High Court has taken a significant step in the terror funding case against Baramulla MP Rashid Engineer, issuing a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and seeking a reply on his regular bail plea. The court will hear the case next on January 30.

Rashid Engineer, accused in the 2017 terrorist financing case, has been in jail since 2019. He was arrested by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Despite his incarceration, Engineer won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 parliamentary elections, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Prior to the Delhi High Court’s notice, the Patiala House Court had rejected Rashid Engineer’s regular bail plea. Senior advocate N Hariharan, representing Engineer, expressed frustration, stating that it seemed no court was willing to hear his bail plea.

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The lower court initially heard the bail plea but later claimed it lacked jurisdiction, stating it was an NIA court, not an MP/MLA court. Hariharan argued that either the High Court should hear the plea or direct the concerned court to decide on the application. Justice Vikas Mahajan responded, noting that the MP/MLA court was not established under any law.

NIA’s Response

Advocate Akshay Malik, representing the NIA, revealed that the agency had requested the Registrar General to nominate a court for hearing the bail plea, which was still pending. Hariharan countered that the request had been pending for three months, emphasizing the need for a timely decision.

With the fourth parliamentary session set to commence on January 25, Rashid Engineer’s constituents are awaiting his representation. Engineer had previously sought permission to attend the winter session and had been granted interim bail for campaigning in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.