NEW DELHI: A split verdict in the Delhi High Court on Friday left undecided a petition by jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid seeking directions that the central government pay for his travel from Tihar jail to attend parliament.
A division bench split sharply on the question.
While Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the government should meet the travel expenses, Justice Vivek Chaudhary took the contrary view that the state need not bear the cost. “We have not been able to concur on the manner in which the application is to be disposed of. There are divergent and discordant views,” Justice Bhambhani said. The matter will be placed before Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya for appropriate orders. Rashid is lodged in Tihar as an undertrial in a terror funding case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was arrested in 2019.
Despite being in custody, he won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 polls, defeating Omar Abdullah by over two lakh votes.
The dispute traces back to a trial court order that allowed Rashid to attend parliament on specified days but required him to bear the expenses for travel and security provided by the government agencies.