The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the special court hearing cases related to the National Investigation Agency to expedite the hearing on the bail plea moved by Engineer Rashid alias Rashid Khan. The Jammu and Kashmir MP was recently granted two-day custody parole by the High Court.
On Monday, Engineer Rashid withdrew petition moved by him in the High Court seeking clarification regarding the jurisdiction of the court that should be hearing his bail plea. Rashid is facing charges under UAPA in a terror funding case.
Hearing the matter, Justice Vikas Mahajan directed the NIA court to hear the bail plea sooner. “Patiala House Court is requested to dispose of the bail application of the petitioner expeditiously,” the bench observed.
The NIA court, which was earlier hearing Rashid’s case, refused to hear his bail plea and suggested the special court for MPs/MLAs should decide on his bail as he is an elected MP from Jammu and Kashmir. Engineer Rashid later approached the Delhi High Court seeking jurisdictional clarification on the matter.The bench observed a direction was passed by the High Court on the administrative side clarifying that the NIA court would continue to hear the case. Following the clarification, Rashid withdrew his plea in the High Court.

The court recently granted him two-day custody parole to attend the budget session of Parliament. The MP from Baramulla was restricted from using the internet and interacting with media.

Engineer Rashid was elected from the Baramulla seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, defeating People Conference leader Omar Abdullah. He has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the UAPA in the 2017 terror-funding case.