Jammu, Sept 10: In an interesting turn of events which is likely to have a serious ramification on the forthcoming Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, a Delhi court on Tuesday granted interim bail till October 2 to Lok Sabha MP from Kashmir Engineer Rashid in a terror funding case, thus enabling him to campaign in the upcoming polls.
The development has stoked the already-hot political environment in Jammu and Kashmir, with National Conference suggesting that the BJP could try to form the government with Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), and Peoples Democratic Party describing the AIP as a proxy of the BJP, which aims to divide the Kashmiri vote.
Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, defeated former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Baramulla. Elections are scheduled to be held for the 90-member legislative assembly of the union territory in three phases from September 18 to October 1. The results will be declared on October 8.
On Tuesday, Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh granted the relief to Rashid on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and one surety of the like amount.
“I am granting interim bail till October 2. He will have to surrender on October 3,” the judge said.
The judge also imposed various conditions on him including that he shall not influence the witnesses or the probe.
Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party has 34 candidates in the J&K poll race as of now, with nominations for the third phase yet to close.His entry into the campaign is expected to give a big boost to his party, especially after the momentum provided by his Lok Sabha win.
Despite being incarcerated, Rashid contested the Lok Sabha elections, with his son and supporters campaigning on his behalf in Baramulla, where he emerged victorious over former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by over 200,000 votes.
Rashid has twice served as the representative for the Langate Assembly constituency in Kupwara district within the J&K Legislative Assembly in the year 2008 and 2014.
On July 5, the court had granted Rashid custody parole to take the oath as a member of the Lok Sabha.
Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.
He is lodged in Tihar jail.
The court has reserved for tomorrow its order on his regular bail application.
Rashid’s name cropped up in the case during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested by the NIA for allegedly funding terrorist groups and separatists in the Kashmir valley.
The NIA had filed a charge sheet against several people, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in the case.
Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2022 after he pleaded guilty to the charges.
