Mr Rashid, popularly referred to as Engineer Rashid, gained the Baramulla seat as an Impartial candidate.

New Delhi:

The anti-terror company NIA has granted consent for jailed Kashmir chief Engineer Abdul Rashid Sheikh to take his oath as an MP. The matter now awaits a remaining order from a Delhi court docket, which is predicted to rule on the circumstances of his oath-taking tomorrow. 

Mr Rashid, popularly referred to as Engineer Rashid, gained the Baramulla seat as an Impartial candidate within the latest Lok Sabha elections. Mr Rashid has been imprisoned in Tihar Jail since 2019. The NIA charged him in a terror-funding case, stopping him from taking his oath alongside his friends within the 18th Lok Sabha. Regardless of his detention, Rashid managed to safe a exceptional win, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. 

On Saturday, Further Classes Decide Kiran Gupta mandated the NIA to reply to Mr Rashid’s utility for interim bail to facilitate his oath-taking. The court docket directed the anti-terror company to file its reply by July 1. 

Advocate Vikhyat Oberoi, representing Mr Rashid, argued that his consumer’s electoral victory signifies the sturdy democratic mandate given by the folks of Baramulla. “He gained with a overwhelming majority. Individuals love him and need him to battle for his or her rights in Parliament democratically,” Mr Oberoi acknowledged. 

Mr Rashid’s authorized staff drew parallels with an identical case involving AAP MP Sanjay Singh, suggesting that Mr Rashid, who’s underneath court docket custody, ought to be allowed to take his oath. They argued that the NIA’s position ought to be minimal in facilitating this course of, referencing the procedural dealing with of Mr Singh’s case the place court docket custody didn’t hinder parliamentary participation.