The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response from the National Testing Agency on a plea filed by jailed Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid seeking interim bail to attend the Monsoon session of parliament. He has been lodged in the Tihar jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the NIA under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The court is scheduled to hear Rashid’s regular bail plea on July 29 which is when this matter will also be heard. A bench comprising Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur have issued the notice to NIA on the plea.
Rashid has also challenged a trial court order asking him to bear expenses of Rs. 1.44 lakh per day for attending the parliament session in custody from July 24 to August 4. The Baramulla MP was arrested in relation to a 2017 terror funding case.
On July 22, he was granted parole bail by a trial court to attend the parliament provided he bears the expenses. During the brief hearing, Rashid's counsel submitted that the MP has already been saddled with Rs 17 lakh cost to represent the public at large in Parliament.
He has sought custody parole along with travel expenses to execute his duty as a parliamentarian.
Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid was charge-sheeted in October 2019, a special NIA court framed charges against Rashid and others in March 2022 under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the government), and 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under the UAPA.
With PTI inputs.
