NIA Opposes Er Rashid's Plea Seeking Custody Parole

Delhi HC bench has reserved its order; Engineer was arrested under the UAPA in 2019

- Shruti Kakkar

SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday opposed Jammu and Kashmir parliamentarian Rashid Engineer's plea for grant of custody parole in a terror funding case, to attend the ongoing budget session, saying that his release will result in security issues in the Parliament.

The first part of the Budget session, which began on 31 January, is set to conclude on 13 February. The second part of the session will commence on March 10 and conclude on April 4. Even as a bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan in the Delhi high court reserved order in MP's petition, the probe agency represented by senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and special public prosecutor Akshai Malik, further claimed that permitting the Baramulla MP from attending the session while being in custody was not its "sole prerogative" and was also subjected to the norms of the Parliament and discretion of the Secretary General of the house.