The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, an accused in a terror case, to meet his ailing father in the national Capital for 12 hours daily until May 10.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain permitted him to visit between 8am and 8pm every day, and directed him to return to jail after the stipulated hours. The court also ordered that two plainclothes officials accompany him during his visits.
“A premises address was given. The address is not of someone who is related or known to the appellant. Under these circumstances, since his father is already in AIIMS Delhi, the order is modified so that the appellant is permitted to meet his father from 8am to 8pm till May 10, and he shall be accompanied by two officials in plain clothes. After the time elapses, the appellant shall continue to be lodged in jail. The cell phone shall be with the appellant, only at the time when he is with his father,” the court said in its order.
The order was passed while hearing his plea seeking modification of bail conditions to allow him to travel from Srinagar to Delhi to meet his ailing father.
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In his application, argued by senior advocate N Hariharan and advocate Vikhyat Oberoi, Rashid stated that the seven-day interim bail granted on April 28 restricted him to staying in Srinagar, either at his residence or at the hospital where his father was admitted. However, following his release on April 30, his father was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on May 2. He continued to remain confined in Srinagar due to the existing bail conditions.
The court passed the order directing him to return to jail after Rashid’s counsel furnished an address where he would stay during the interim bail period. However, National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) counsel Akshai Malik, along with advocate Khawar Saleem, submitted that Rashid, while on interim bail, could stay either with his father at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or in jail.
Rashid was arrested in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case. The NIA in its charge sheet claimed that the accused people are involved in using illicit funds to fuel unrest and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. NIA also claimed that various terror organisations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and others, collaborated with Pakistan’s ISI to orchestrate attacks on civilians and security forces.
On April 28, the court granted him interim bail for seven days, noting that Rashid, who is a sitting MP, had been in custody for over six years and had previously been granted 48 days of bail.
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