Baramulla Sheikh Abdul Rashid’s Lok Sabha MP, known as Engineer Rashid. file. , Photo Credit: Imran Nisar
On Wednesday (August 6, 2025), the accused in the alleged terrorist funding case, the Delhi High Court informed the Delhi High Court that he was unable to represent his constituency due to a rider imposed on him to pay daily costs to attend the parliamentary session.
Appearing in front of a bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Anoop Jeram Bhambhani, Mr. Rashid demanded amendment of an order passed by a coordination bench.
The order directed him to deposit ₹ 4 lakh with the jail authorities, who as a travel expenses to participate in Parliament.
During the hearing, the bench commented that when detention parole is provided, it is usually at the cost of the individual.
On this, senior advocate N Hariharan appeared for Mr. Rashid, saying that this situation was unfair because “he (Rashid) is an elected representative of people in a parliamentary constituency and is unable to represent him due to his inability to pay”.
Hariharan continued, “If the situation imposed is such that he (in Parliament) is unable to go, then we are interfering in the basic elements of democracy in this country.” He claimed that when Mr. Rashid took oath, “the state never asked for expenses”.
The senior advocate said, “These conditions have been seen in any way that the voice of my constituency has not been heard there.”
The lawyer reported that he was not reviewing the order, but “only the amend of the conditions”.
He said, “The order is taken into custody, subject to the conditions. I am saying that this condition is wrong to defeat the order,” he said.
The bench posted the case for August 12.
Baramulla MP, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is facing allegations in a terrorist funding case that he funded separatists and terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
He has been registered in Tihar Jail in Delhi since 2019 after being arrested by the NIA in the 2017 terror-funding case. He was granted interim bail to campaign in Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections for a month in September last year.
The cedar of the NIA alleged that Mr. Rashid was named during the interrogation of the businessman and during the co-accused of Zahoor Watli.
Published – 06 August, 2025 02:59 PM IST