Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdul Rashid gets 2-hour custody parole to take oath as Lok Sabha MP
Adil Akhzer
Srinagar, July 2
A Delhi court on Tuesday granted two-hour custody parole to jailed Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, to take oath as a Lok Sabha member on July 5.
Valley leader Won from Baramulla
- Engineer Rashid contested as an Independent candidate from Baramulla in the recent Lok Sabha elections
- Rashid defeated former CM Omar Abdullah by a margin of over two lakh votes
- He moved court seeking interim bail or custody parole to take oath. Custody parole is granted in emergency circumstances
“Custody parole has been allowed for two hours, or till the time the oath proceedings take place, whichever is later. He (Rashid) will take oath on July 5,” Rashid’s lawyer Vikhyat Oberoi told The Tribune.
The order by Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) allowed Rashid to take oath as an MP.
Oberoi also said the court had allowed Rashid’s family to accompany him during the oath-taking ceremony. “He has also been allowed to complete the registration process of an MP,” he said.
Rashid, 56, a former MLA from the Langate Assembly constituency in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, contested as an Independent from Baramulla in the recently held Lok Sabha election and won with a huge margin. Last month, he moved the court seeking interim bail or custody parole to take oath.
Rashid defeated former CM Omar Abdullah by a margin of over two lakh votes.
Several leaders in the Valley have demanded that the Centre should allow Rashid to take oath.
Rashid has been in jail since 2019 after he was charged by the NIA under UAPA for his alleged involvement in a terror funding case. He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
