New Delhi, Mar 28, KNT: The Delhi High Court has directed Jammu and Kashmir MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, alias Engineer Rashid, to deposit Rs 4 lakh with prison authorities to cover travel expenses for attending the ongoing Parliament session.
A division bench had earlier allowed Rashid to attend Lok Sabha proceedings in custody till April 4, rejecting the NIA’s concerns about him being a flight risk. His counsel informed the court that he had already deposited Rs 1.45 lakh and would submit the remaining Rs 2.55 lakh within three days.
The NIA opposed Rashid’s plea for a waiver of travel costs, arguing that allowing him to speak in Parliament could be misused. Rashid, currently in Tihar Jail under UAPA charges related to a 2017 terror funding case, claimed he lacked the financial means to pay the Rs 8.74 lakh estimated by jail authorities for six days of attendance.
The court directed the NIA to respond within four weeks to Rashid’s request for a waiver. It also emphasized that parliamentary proceedings are under the Lok Sabha Speaker’s jurisdiction, dismissing concerns over potential misuse.
Rashid, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, has been in custody since 2019 and was previously granted one-month interim bail to campaign in the J&K Assembly elections last year.
