A Delhi court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Lok Sabha MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh aka Engineer Rashid, allowing him to campaign for the upcoming three-phased Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.
The bail is effective until October 2.
Engineer Rashid has been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2019 in connection with an alleged terror funding case.
Rashid, who heads the Awami Ittehad Party(AIP) had approached the court requesting interim bail to participate in campaigning for the Assembly election, which are scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 1.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, jailed Engineer defeated National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by more than two lakh votes from the Baramulla constituency.
Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results, the AIP is contesting over 30 seats and fielded candidates as independents.
Engineer Rashid was accused on Monday by People’s Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti acting as the “proxy” of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Reacting to the interim bail, Omar Abdullah said they knew it would happen.
“I feel sorry for the people of Baramulla. This bail seems less about addressing their needs as a Member Parliament and more about securing votes in the assembly polls,” Omar told reporters. “After the election, he will return to Tihar, leaving North Kashmir without representation.”
Meanwhile, supporters of Engineer Rashid celebrated his bail in various areas of Kashmir.
