NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday informed the Patiala House court that it is seeking approval from the Delhi high court to designate a special NIA court for handling cases involving MPs and MLAs.
The move comes in the context of Lok Sabha MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, being an accused in the Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing as special public prosecutor for the NIA, informed the court that a letter will be sent to the Delhi high court within ten days, requesting the special designation.
Principal District and Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav, after hearing the submissions, scheduled the next hearing for December 6.
Engineer Rashid’s counsel, advocate Vikhyat Oberoi, urged the court to expedite the interim bail decision, pending for months. Rashid has sought bail to attend the ongoing Parliamentary session.
However, the court deferred its decision until the next hearing. The NIA opposed transferring the case to the MP/MLA court, arguing it would delay the trial.