Terror funding case: Delhi HC seeks NIA’s response on Baramulla MP Rashid’s plea challenging framing of charges

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (July 31) issued notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and sought its response on a plea filed by Bramulla Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Sheikh Abdul Rashid challenging framing of charges against him in a terror funding case.

A bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Shalinder Kaur granted time to the NIA to file its reply and listed Rashid’s plea for further hearing on October 6.

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Rashid has also filed pleas before the High Court seeking interim bail and challenging an order of the trial court, which granted him custody parole to attend the ongoing Parliament session between July 24 and August 4 with the condition of bearing travel expenses of Rs 1.44 lakh per day and these two pleas were also listed before the bench on Thursday.

The bench, however, was of the view that Rashid’s these two pleas be heard by the same bench which had earlier heard a similar plea filed by him during the Budget session and said that these pleas be listed before a division bench comprising Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, subject to the orders of the division bench, news agency PTI reported.

A division bench comprising Justice Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Bhambhani had on March 25 had asked the Baramulla MP to deposit Rs 4 lakh with the prison authorities as travel expenses for taking him to the Parliament to attend the Budget session "in-custody".

Besides these pleas, Rashid’s plea seeking regular bail in the terror funding case is also pending before the High Court. The trial court had on March 21 dismissed Rashid’s second regular bail plea.

Rashid, who is accused of funding separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir, has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail since 2019 after his arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

A special NIA court framed charges against Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, and others in March 2022 under several Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including sections 121 (waging war against the government) and 124A (sedition) and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under UAPA.