Delhi court to continue hearing terror case against Engineer Rashid

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday sent a terror-funding case against Jammu and Kashmir MP Engineer Rashid back to the special judge hearing the matter so that the grievances of the accused can be adjudicated.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav was hearing the matter after the special judge had requested the district judge to transfer the case to a court designated to try lawmakers observing that Rashid was now a member of Parliament.

The district judge on Thursday sent the matter back to the special judge by the consent of all accused persons as well as the prosecuting agency, NIA.

The district judge passed the order after being informed that the matter related to the jurisdiction of the court is currently pending before the Delhi High Court.

The special court is likely to take up the matter on December 20 and will continue to hear the case till the final order on the issue of jurisdiction is passed by the high court.

Earlier, the counsel for Rashid and the NIA jointly sought the matter to remain in the court hearing it.

Apart from the case lodged by the NIA, the special judge had also recommended transferring a related money laundering case and the regular bail application of Rashid to the court for lawmakers.

Rashid, who was elected from the Baramulla constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror-funding case.

Both the cases filed by the NIA and the ED also involve Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin and others.

The ED filed a money laundering case against the accused persons on the basis of the NIA’s FIR, which accused them of “conspiring to wage war against the government” and fomenting trouble in the Kashmir Valley. (PTI)