The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea by jailed Lok Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla, Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid, challenging the framing of charges against him in a terror funding case.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain said the appeal by Rashid against the trial court order was not maintainable.
“The present appeal would not be maintainable and is dismissed,” said the bench.
Rashid has been lodged in the Tihar jail since 2019 after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.
The Baramulla MP, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is facing trial in a terror funding case with allegations that he funded separatists and terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the NIA’s FIR, Rashid’s name cropped up during the interrogation of businessman and co-accused Zahoor Watali.
After being chargesheeted 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 IPC and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under UAPA.
A Delhi court has allowed Rashid to attend the Budget Session of Parliament, which commenced on Wednesday, under custody parole, whereby a prisoner is escorted by armed police personnel to his place of visit.