The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted jailed Lok Sabha MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh interim bail for a week to enable him to meet his ailing father.
A bench of Justices Prathibha M Singh and Madhu Jain ordered that during the period of interim bail, he must be accompanied by at least two plainclothes police personnel throughout his journey from jail till his return on the seventh day.
The court also ordered him to provide a personal bond $1 lakh with a guarantee and he is restricted to remain at his residence or at the place where his father is currently present.
While granting the relief, the court noted that Rasheed is a Member of Parliament, has been in detention for over six years and was previously granted bail for 48 days.
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“After perusal of the record and consideration of the facts, this Court is of the opinion that this is a fit case to grant interim bail for a period of one week on the following conditions which stipulate that the appellant must furnish a personal bond of Rs. $1 lakh and with a guarantee of the like amount, the appellant shall be accompanied by at least two plainclothes police officers and shall remain in the residence or where his father is presently located. The court said that during the period when the appellant was with his father, there would be no unnecessary visitors besides immediate family members.
Rasheed had moved the Supreme Court against the lower court’s April 24 order. Although the court of first instance rejected his bail plea, it took note of the allegations that he attempted to influence witnesses, including a protected witness.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Rasheed’s lawyer N Hariharan and advocate Vikhiyat Oberoi said the allegations of influencing witnesses were baseless and that his father’s medical condition justified granting interim bail.
Opposing the petition, the National Investigation Agency, represented by Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, Special Counsel Akshay Malik and Advocate Khawar Saleem, said there was material indicating attempts to influence witnesses. Luthra noted that one of the witnesses turned hostile and made accusations against him, raising concerns about the possibility of influencing other witnesses. He said granting unconditional bail would risk interfering with the trial.
Rashid was arrested under an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case in 2019. The NIA alleged in its chargesheet that the accused were involved in using illicit funds to fuel unrest and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA also alleged that various terrorist organizations, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and others, collaborated with the ISI to organize attacks on civilians and security forces.
