Delhi NIA Court Extends Interim Bail for Rashid Engineer Amid Terror Funding Case

The Delhi NIA court has extended the interim bail for parliamentarian Rashid Engineer until October 12. The National Investigation Agency opposes his bail due to concerns of potential misuse of power. Rashid Engineer's future in the terror funding case remains uncertain with hearings ongoing.

In a significant development, the Delhi NIA court extended the interim bail of parliamentarian Rashid Engineer until October 12 in connection with a terror funding case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The court has directed Rashid to surrender on October 13.

The interim bail, initially set to expire on October 2, has been extended to allow Rashid additional time to comply with the court's orders. Previously, the court permitted Rashid interim bail to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. With his regular bail application pending, an order is expected on October 5. Rashid's counsel, Vikhyat Oberoi, argued that the interim bail is necessary for his election campaign and parliamentary duties.

Recently, the NIA opposed Rashid's regular bail plea in the UAPA case, asserting that his position as a Member of Parliament could be misused to influence witnesses and obstruct justice. The agency alleges that Rashid previously misused telephone facilities in Central Jail, Tihar, and defended 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed's terror activities as a 'political cause.' The NIA fears Rashid might misuse his liberty if released on bail and urged the Patiala House Court to reject his application.

Rashid, having recently won the Baramulla seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seeks bail as his case progresses. Additional Sessions Judge Chanderjit Singh has reserved the order on Rashid's bail application after a detailed in-camera hearing. Rashid, arrested in connection with a 2017 terror funding case, has submitted a second regular bail application in Patiala House court.

Earlier, the same court granted Rashid a two-hour custody parole on July 5 to take the oath as a Member of Parliament. Arrested in 2005 by the Special Operations Group (SOG) for allegedly supporting militants, Rashid faced charges of anti-national activities before being released. In August 2019, he was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Notably, Rashid won the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail, defeating Omar Abdullah by a margin of 204,000 votes.

(With inputs from agencies.)