Delhi court refuses to pass order on J&K MP Rashid Engineer’s regular bail plea

The judge said at the present stage he could only decide the miscellaneous application and not the regular bail plea. On December 19, the district judge sent the case back to the court hearing the matter.

The ASJ court had requested the district judge to transfer the case to a court designated to try lawmakers observing Rashid was now an MP.

The district judge sent the matter back to the ASJ by the consent of all accused persons and the prosecuting agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The district judge passed the order after being informed the matter related to the jurisdiction of the court is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.

The ASJ would continue to hear the case till the high court passes a final order on the issue of jurisdiction.
Rashid counsel and the NIA had jointly sought the matter to remain in the court hearing it.

Apart from the NIA case, the special judge had recommended transferring a connected money laundering case and Rashid’s regular bail plea to the court meant for lawmakers.

Rashid was elected from the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror-funding case.

Cases of the NIA and the ED also involve Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin and others.

The ED filed a money laundering case against the accused persons on the basis of the NIA’s FIR, which accused them of “conspiring to wage war against the government” and fomenting trouble in the Kashmir Valley.