NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a response from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a plea filed by Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, challenging the framing of charges against him in a 2017 terror funding case.
A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur asked NIA to file its reply. The court also summoned the trial court records and scheduled the matter for hearing on October 6.
Rashid, a former MLA and now an independent MP from Jammu and Kashmir, has been in Tihar Jail since 2019 after being arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His regular bail plea in the same case is also currently pending before the HC.
Earlier, the court had only sought the NIA’s response on the delay—spanning nearly 1,100 days—in filing the plea challenging the charges. However, in Thursday’s hearing, Rashid’s counsel also raised objections to a previous trial court order directing him to pay Rs 1.44 lakh per day for being escorted in custody to attend House’s Monsoon Session.
The bench indicated that both the plea should ideally be heard by the same division bench that had dealt with a similar petition during the Budget session. Consequently, the case was referred to a bench led by Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, subject to formal orders.
In his latest bail application, Rashid has argued that he has already spent over five years in custody, and given the prolonged delay in trial, he is entitled to bail. He has denied all charges, maintaining he was never involved in any terror-related activity.