Court extends MP Engineer Rashid’s interim bail until Oct 12

Rashid’s legal team had filed a request for the extension of his interim bail granted on September 10. He was released from Tihar Jail the following day and was supposed to surrender on October 2.

Rashid had moved court seeking interim bail to campaign during the Assembly elections in J&K, which voted in the last phase Tuesday.

Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had provided the temporary relief to allow Rashid to participate in the assembly elections.

Rashid has defeated former J&K CM and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate.

His party, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), is actively contesting the ongoing assembly elections, which have taken place in three phases from September 18 to October 1. The results are set to be announced on October 8.

The court initially granted Rashid interim bail on a personal bond of `2 lakh, requiring one surety of the same amount.

Rashid has been in custody since 2019 after being arrested by NIA under UAPA due to his alleged involvement in a 2017 terror funding case. NIA has filed charges against several individuals in connection with this case, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.