Jailed Kashmiri politician Rashid gets NIA nod for MP oath

SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has granted consent for jailed Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, to take his oath as an MP on July 5.

Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh will issue a decision on Rashid’s interim bail request tomorrow.

While the NIA counsel did not oppose Rashid’s request to take the oath, they recommended certain restrictions. These include avoiding interaction with the media and completing all parliamentary activities within a single day.

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On 22 June, a Delhi court postponed the hearing of the interim bail request of jailed Kashmiri Politician and Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, widely known as Engineer Rashid, to July 1 and gave the NIA time to respond to the petition.

Rashid, who is currently in Tihar Jail after his 2019 arrest in connection with a 2017 Jammu & Kashmir terror funding case, had previously filed an interim bail request with the Patiala House Court in Delhi to take his oath as an MP.

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Rashid, who ran as an independent candidate, defeated former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin of over two lakh votes.

The NIA previously stated that it was consulting with Parliament and Tihar Jail authorities regarding the applicant’s request for his oath ceremony.