The Delhi High Court’s registrar general informed the court on Tuesday that an order would soon be issued to designate a special court for the trial of Jammu and Kashmir MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, in a terror-related case filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Rashid’s counsel urged the court to keep the petition pending for a week, anticipating the designation of a special court by then. The court scheduled the matter for consideration on February 24.
The registrar general, represented by advocate Kanhaiya Singhal, informed Justice Vikas Mahajan that the Supreme Court has clarified that the specially designated NIA court can handle both the trial and Rashid’s bail pleas. Earlier, the NIA court had deferred proceedings due to a jurisdictional ambiguity, questioning whether it was the appropriate forum to try Rashid’s case, considering his status as a sitting MP.
Independent Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, has been in judicial custody since 2019 in connection with a terror funding case under NIA investigation. He has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Delhi High Court, through its registrar general, had filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking clarification on whether a specially designated NIA court could also function as an MP/MLA court and whether it would have jurisdiction over NIA cases not involving lawmakers.
On Monday, the Delhi High Court granted Abdul Rashid Sheikh two days’ custody parole to attend Parliament. Rashid had moved the court after a jurisdictional deadlock delayed proceedings in his case.
