Jailed Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid gets 2-day custody parole to attend Parliament

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted two-day custody parole to jailed Kashmir MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh to attend the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, reported PTI.

Justice Vikas Mahajan issued the order allowing the Baramulla MP, who is popularly known as Engineer Rashid, to attend the session on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sheikh has been in jail since August 2019 in connection with a terror-funding case filed by the National Investigation Agency. He has been held under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The legislator has been on a hunger strike since January 31 to demand his right to represent his constituency in Parliament.

Sheikh contested and won from Baramulla in the 2024 Lok Sabha while in jail.

At a hearing on Friday, advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the National Investigation Agency, told the court that there was no vested right to attend Parliament sessions, referring to an earlier judgement of the Supreme Court in the Suresh Kalmadi case.

Kalmadi was a Lok Sabha MP from Pune and a prime accused in the Commonwealth Games scam case. While under arrest, Kalmadi had requested the High Court to grant him custody parole to attend the Monsoon Session of Parliament in August 2011 but his request was denied.

Advocate N Hariharan, representing Sheikh, said that the judgement being referred to also held that granting such relief was...

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