NIA Opposes Jailed J&K MP Rashid Engineer's Interim Bail Plea in HC

New Delhi: The NIA opposed in the Delhi High Court a plea by jailed Jammu and Kashmir MP Rashid Engineer for interim bail in a terror-funding case to attend Parliament.

In its response to Engineer's plea before Justice Vikas Mahajn, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) argued that this was a classic case of misuse of the interim bail provision, which should be used sparingly, particularly when the accused shows no intolerable grief or suffering.

The interim bail plea of Rashid is scheduled for February 4.

He has sought interim bail to attend the budget session of Parliament, which began on January 31, and concludes on April 4.

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

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.

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.

(with agency inputs)