The Patiala House Court in Delhi has scheduled June 18, 2024, for a hearing on a plea submitted by a newly elected MP from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, who is seeking interim bail to take his oath of office. The MP, who has been in custody for the past five years in a terror funding case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), recently defeated Omar Abdullah in the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh postponed the hearing to June 18 after the NIA requested more time to respond to Rashid’s application. The NIA also informed the court that the notification for the oath of newly elected Members of Parliament had not yet been published. Previously, the court had asked the NIA to respond to the case.
Rashid’s counsel, Advocate Vikhyat Oberoi, stated that an application for interim bail and alternative custody parole had been filed on June 5 to allow Rashid to take his oath and perform other parliamentary functions. Oberoi mentioned, “We filed it on June 5. The matter was taken up by the Court and it was listed for 6th for reply by the NIA.” However, the NIA did not file a reply by Thursday, prompting the court to schedule the matter for June 7 for the NIA’s response.
Oberoi also highlighted that Rashid, a two-time MLA, needs to take his oath as an MP following his election victory. The date for the oath ceremony has not yet been announced.
Rashid was previously arrested in 2005 by the SOG in Srinagar for supporting militants and was jailed for three months and 17 days on charges of anti-national activities. He was detained in Cargo, Humhama, and Raj Bagh prisons before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds. In August 2019, he was arrested under the UAPA case. Despite being in jail, Rashid filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary election and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.