Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid has approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2017 terror-funding case.
His legal team has requested the High Court to direct the trial court judge to expedite a decision on his pending regular bail application. Alternatively, they have asked the Delhi High Court to adjudicate on the matter directly.
The case is scheduled to be heard by the Delhi High Court tomorrow.
Previously, the Patiala House Court rejected a plea to decide Rashid’s regular bail in the Jammu and Kashmir terror-funding case. The court clarified that it was only authorized to address miscellaneous applications at this stage, not the regular bail petition.
Previously, a district judge had referred the case back to the ASJ court after a request to transfer it to a designated court for lawmakers, due to Rashid’s position as an MP.
The request was made with the consent of both the accused and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the prosecuting agency. The issue of jurisdiction is still pending before the Delhi High Court, and until it rules on this, the ASJ court will continue hearing the case.
Both Rashid’s defense and the NIA agreed to keep the case in the current court. The special judge also suggested moving a related money laundering case and Rashid’s regular bail application to the court designated for lawmakers.
Engineer Rashid, an independent MP from Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, recently surrendered at Tihar Jail after his interim bail expired, as part of the ongoing investigation into the Jammu and Kashmir terror-funding case. Rashid was arrested under UAPA in August 2019.
While in prison, Rashid ran for re-election in the 2024 parliamentary elections, securing a victory by 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
In 2022, the NIA Court at Patiala House Court ordered charges against Rashid and several prominent figures, including Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin, Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, and others. These charges are part of a broader investigation into terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, with the NIA alleging links to militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and JKLF, and Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI.
The NIA claims that in 1993, the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was formed to support separatist activities, with funding routed through hawala and other covert channels.
Hafiz Saeed and Hurriyat leaders are accused of using these funds to instigate violence, target security forces, burn schools, and damage public property in Jammu and Kashmir, all aimed at destabilizing the region and promoting terrorism under the guise of political resistance.