SRINAGAR: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed Baramulla MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, currently lodged in jail in a terror-funding case, to meet his ailing father at AIIMS Delhi for 12 hours daily until May 10, modifying its earlier interim bail order, reports appearing in media said.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain directed that Rashid be allowed to visit the hospital from 8 am to 8 pm each day, after which he must return to custody. The court clarified that all existing conditions would continue, including the presence of at least two plainclothes police personnel accompanying him. Security officials have been instructed to remain stationed outside the hospital ward during the visits.
The modification comes after Rashid sought permission to travel to Delhi from Srinagar, where he had been confined under an April 28 interim bail order that allowed him to either remain at home or visit his father, who was then undergoing treatment in Srinagar. His father was subsequently shifted to AIIMS Delhi after his health condition deteriorated.
During proceedings, the court declined to permit Rashid to stay at his allotted Member of Parliament accommodation in Delhi, citing security concerns related to the presence of other MPs. It also rejected his request to stay in a rented residence, noting that verification of a local address could not be completed in time. Instead, the bench aligned with submissions made by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that Rashid’s movement be limited to escorted visits between jail and hospital.
The court also dismissed the NIA’s objection to Rashid being allowed access to a mobile phone during his time outside jail, terming such concerns “impractical.” It clarified that he could use a mobile phone during the permitted hours, including those belonging to family members.
Rashid’s interim bail, originally set to expire on May 6, was granted in connection with his appeal against an April 24 trial court order denying him relief. He was released on April 30 and had travelled to Srinagar the same day before seeking modification of the bail terms following his father’s transfer to Delhi.
Rashid was arrested in 2019 by the NIA in connection with a 2017 terror-funding case and has since been lodged in Tihar Jail. A special NIA court framed charges against him and others in March 2022 under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government, sedition, and offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
