The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim bail to Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, till June 2, 2026, to enable him to attend the funeral, burial, and post-death customary ceremonies of his father, who passed away at AIIMS Delhi in the intervening night of May 17 and 18.
A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Madhu Jain passed the order in an appeal arising from the NIA terror-funding case pending before the Patiala House Courts. Rashid is arrayed as Accused No. 18 in the NIA Case.
The Court noted that Rashid had already been granted interim bail earlier on April 28, 2026, after his father’s health deteriorated. At that stage, the High Court had observed that the appellant had remained in custody for more than six years and eight months, except for a brief period when he was released on interim bail.
The present application was urgently mentioned before the Court following the demise of Rashid’s father at 12:10 AM at AIIMS, New Delhi. The National Investigation Agency confirmed before the Court that the factum of death had been verified.
Rashid sought interim bail to perform funeral prayers, burial rites, mourning ceremonies, Quran recitations, and other customary rituals extending up to the observance of the 40th day ceremony (Chahalisvan).
Allowing the plea, the Court directed that Rashid be released on interim bail till June 2 subject to stringent conditions. The Bench ordered that he would remain accompanied at all times by at least two police officials in plain clothes and restricted his stay to specified residential addresses in Srinagar and Kupwara.
The Court further permitted him to visit burial grounds and places of worship strictly for the purpose of customary rites but restrained him from travelling elsewhere. Any meetings with persons other than immediate family members were directed to take place only in the presence of police officials.
Additional conditions imposed by the Court included use of only one mobile phone number disclosed to the NIA, prohibition on contacting witnesses, restriction on leaving the country, and immediate surrender before jail authorities upon expiry of the bail period.
The Bench also directed immediate communication of the order to jail authorities to ensure that Rashid could travel to Srinagar today itself.
Appearances
Appellant- Mr. Vikhyat Oberoi, Ms. Nishita Gupta, Mr. Ravi Sharma & Mr. Shivam Prakash, Advs.
Respondent- Mr. Akshai Malik, SPP, Mr. Ayush Agarwal, Mr. Khawar Salem, Advs. for NIA.
