Can Jailed Lok Sabha MP Rashid Attend Parliament’s Budget Session? High Court Seeks NIA Response

New Delhi: Engineer Rashid, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, wants to attend to attend the ongoing budget session of Parliament.

But there’s a problem — he is in jail.

The Delhi High Court, which heard Rashid’s custody parole plea on Wednesday, sought the response of National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the matter.

Rashid, who has been in custody in connection with a terror-funding case since 2019, approached the high court against a March 10 order by the city court, denying him custody parole. Calling the city court’s order “erroneous”, Rashid stated in his petition that his presence in Lok Sabha during the budget session was important to effectively represent and address concerns of the people of his constituency.

The second leg of the Budget session began on Monday, and will continue till April 4.

“Issue notice. Let the objection, if any, be filed by the NIA before Monday. List for consideration on Tuesday,” a bench of justices Prathiba M Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta said, fixing March 18 as the next date of hearing.

Last month, the high court had granted Rashid two-day custody parole to attend the first leg of Budget session, pointed out senior advocate N Hariharan, who appeared for the MP.

A bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan granted parole to Rashid on February 10, considering the non-availability of the forum to hear his bail application. The bench said it had rendered him remediless.

Rashid, arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2019, has been accused by NIA of involvement in using illicit funds to fuel unrest and separatism in Jammu & Kashmir.