Delhi High Court Allows Engineer Rashid To Meet Ailing Father At AIIMS Till May 10
The Delhi High Court allowed jailed Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, to visit his ailing father at AIIMS Delhi for 12 hours daily until May 10.
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain modified its earlier interim bail order, permitting Rashid to meet his father from 8 am to 8 pm each day. The court clarified that after the allotted time, he must return to jail, and all existing conditions, including police supervision, will remain in place.
As per the order, at least two plainclothes police personnel will accompany Rashid, though they will remain stationed outside his father’s hospital ward during the visit. The court noted that since his father is currently admitted at AIIMS Delhi, the earlier permission to visit Srinagar has been revised to facilitate meetings in the national capital.
The bench also declined the request of the National Investigation Agency to withdraw the condition allowing Rashid to use a mobile phone during his time outside jail, calling such objections impractical. The court said he may use a phone belonging to a family member if required.
Rashid had earlier been granted interim bail on April 28 to visit his father in Srinagar, with the relief set to expire on May 6. However, after his father was shifted to Delhi for treatment, he sought modification of the order. The court permitted the change but rejected his plea to stay in a rented accommodation or his official MP residence, citing security concerns.
The MP has been in custody since 2019 after being arrested by the NIA in a terror-funding case linked to Jammu and Kashmir. Charges against him include criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government, sedition, and offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
