The Patiala House Court in Delhi has permitted Sheikh Abdul Rashid, the jailed Member of Parliament from Baramulla popularly known as Engineer Rashid, to visit Parliament in custody on September 9 to cast his vote in the Vice-Presidential election.
As per the order dated September 4, delivered on Saturday, Rashid will not be required to make any immediate payment towards travel expenses. However, he must furnish an undertaking to bear the cost at a later stage, subject to the outcome of appeals currently reserved for orders by the Delhi High Court.
Advocate Vikhyat Oberoi appeared on Rashid’s behalf during the proceedings.
Since voting in the Vice-Presidential election must be done in person, Rashid had moved the Special NIA Court at Patiala House seeking permission to cast his vote despite being lodged in Tihar Jail. The court’s order now clears the way for him to exercise his rights as an elected MP.
Meanwhile, the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) on Saturday welcomed the order of the Patiala House Court permitting Engineer Rashid to participate in the upcoming Vice-Presidential elections.
AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said that as per the order, the Patiala House Court, Delhi, has directed that Er Rashid be taken in custody to Parliament for the limited purpose of casting his vote in the Vice-Presidential elections.
{{/usCountry}}AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said that as per the order, the Patiala House Court, Delhi, has directed that Er Rashid be taken in custody to Parliament for the limited purpose of casting his vote in the Vice-Presidential elections.
{{/usCountry}}“This is not just a legal victory but also a democratic assertion of the rights of the people of North Kashmir who elected Er Rashid to represent them in Parliament,” he said.