Delhi HC seek NIA’s stand on MP Engineer Rashid’s plea challenging terror funding charges

THe new delhi heights margaret court on th sought-after(a) the NIA’s stand on a plea by Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh challenging framing of charges against him in a terror funding case.A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur issued notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Rashid’s plea and granted time to the agency to file its reply.The high court also called for the trial court record in the matter and listed the plea for further hearing on October 6.Besides, Rashid’s regular bail plea in the case is also pending in the high court.Earlier, the high court had issued notice to the NIA only on the aspect of delay of around 1,100 days in filing the plea challenging framing of charges against him.Rashid's plea challenging a trial court’s order asking to bear travel expenses of ₹1.44 lakh per day for attending the session in custody between July 24 and August 4, and seeking interim bail was listed before the bench Thursday.The division bench was of the view that these two pleas be heard by the same bench which had previously heard a similar plea filed by him during the Budget session.The court said the pleas be listed before a division bench comprising Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, subject to the orders of the division bench. On March 25, a division bench of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Bhambhani had asked Rashid to deposit ₹four lakh with the prison authorities as travel expenses for taking him to Parliament to attend the Budget session "in-custody".Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.On March 21, the trial court dismissed Rashid’s second regular bail application.In the appeal against the decision, the J-K MP said he has already spent over five years in custody and the delay in trial, which was unlikely to be concluded soon, entitled him to be released on bail.The bail plea also contended that the allegations against him were baseless as he was never involved in secessionist and terrorist activities.“The appellant is a mainstream political leader of J&K having been elected twice as an MLA and recently as an MP. Due to his passionate engagement in mainstream politics, he became a potential target for those who preached separatist ideologies including militant outfits, labelling him as a traitor,” the pleas submitted.“A mere political comment made on the hanging of Afzal Guru showing disapprobation of the measures of the government or criticising a judgement of the Courts cannot be construed to mean as an association with terrorists much less any association which has a nexus with the commission of any unlawful or terrorist activity,” it submitted.Rashid also sought bail to enable him to attend the Lok Sabha sessions, saying his presence was imperative as he represented 45 per cent of the Kashmir valley and had been “assigned the role to act as a bridge between Parliament and the people of his constituency”.The Baramulla MP, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is facing trial in a terror funding case with allegations that he funded separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.According to the NIA's FIR, Rashid's name cropped up during the interrogation of businessman and co-accused Zahoor Watali.After being chargesheeted in October 2019, a special NIA court framed charges against Rashid and others in March 2022 under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government), and 124A (sedition) of IPC and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under UAPA.