28 October,2024 03:10 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Rashid Engineer in Delhi on Monday. Pic/PTI
Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Rashid Engineer on Monday surrendered before authorities in Tihar Jail here after the end of his interim bail, prison officials said, reported the PTI.
The Awami Ittehad Party leader, who has been arrested in a terror funding case, reached jail premises at noon after a Delhi court, which was scheduled to pass the order on his bail plea, adjourned the matter.
The Patiala House Court in New Delhi has deferred the pronouncement of order on regular bail for him till November 19 this year, the ANI reported on Monday.
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh had on September 10 granted interim bail to Rashid, to enable him to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections while deferring the order on his regular bail plea, according to the PTI.
Rashid's interim bail was previously extended till October 28 on the grounds of his father's poor health. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) hadn't opposed the plea after verifying the documents.
On October 14, the court extended his interim bail on the health grounds of his ailing father and directed him to surrender to Tihar on October 28. The engineer initially got interim bail for campaigning in the recently held Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
He has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case.
Elections to the 90-member J-K Assembly were held in three phases between September 18 and October 1. The results were declared on October 8 in which the National Conference-Congress alliance attained a majority with 48 seats.
In 2005, Engineer Rashid was arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Srinagar for allegedly supporting militants and was held for three months and 17 days. He faced charges of anti-national activities and was incarcerated in Cargo, Humhama, and Raj Bagh prisons. However, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Srinagar later dropped all charges against him on humanitarian grounds, as per the ANI.
In August 2019, Rashid was again arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). During his incarceration, he filed his nomination for the 2024 parliamentary elections from jail and won by a margin of 204,000 votes, defeating former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
(with PTI and ANI)
