Engineer Rashid seeks court’s permission to vote in VP election on Sept 9

Lok Sabha MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, has moved a Delhi court seeking permission to vote in the September 9 election for the Vice President, court sources said.

They said Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh is likely to pass an order on Saturday.

Earlier, he was granted custody parole between July 24 and August 4 to attend the Monsoon session of the Parliament.

Rashid, 58, 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 a 2017 terror funding case.

The Baramulla MP, who defeated Omar Abdullah in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, is facing 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 charge sheeted 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 the IPC and for offences relating to terrorist acts and terror funding under the UAPA.