NEW DELHI, Oct 1:
A court here on Tuesday extended the interim bail granted to Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, in a terror funding case until October 12.
Rashid’s lawyer Vikhyat Oberoi said he will now have to surrender on October 13 instead of October 2.
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The Lok Sabha Member’s legal team had filed a request for the extension of his interim bail granted on September 10. He was released from Tihar Jail the following day and was supposed to surrender on October 2.
Rashid had moved the court seeking interim bail to campaign during the Assembly elections in J-K which voted in the last phase on Tuesday.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had provided the temporary relief to allow Rashid to participate in the assembly elections.
Rashid has defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate.
His party, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), is actively contesting the ongoing Assembly elections, which have taken place in three phases from September 18 to October 1. The results are set to be announced on October 8.
The court initially granted Rashid interim bail on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh, requiring one surety of the same amount.
The judge imposed several conditions, including a prohibition on speaking to the media about his case and refraining from influencing witnesses or the ongoing investigation.
Rashid has been in custody since 2019 after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act due to his alleged involvement in a 2017 terror funding case.
His name surfaced during the investigation of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was accused of financing terrorist groups and separatist movements in the region.
The NIA has filed charges against several individuals in connection with this case, including Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.
Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2022 after pleading guilty to the charges against him. (PTI)
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