Court allows incarcerated J&K MP to vote in Vice Presidential election

Srinagar, Sep 6 (IANS) Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Saturday allowed Engineer Rashid, Lok Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla constituency to vote for the Vice Presidential election while in custody. Rashid is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in connection with a terror funding case.

The Patiala House Court on Saturday ordered that Engineer Rashid will go to Parliament in police custody to vote in the Vice Presidential election to be held on September 9.

The court said that he will have to pay the expenses incurred in going to Parliament to cast his vote, for which he will have to give an affidavit, however the court also said that he does not have to pay this expense immediately.

He will have to pay this expense after the decision of Delhi High Court, in which he has filed an application regarding the travel expenses and the High Court has reserved its decision on it.

Engineer Rashid fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency while he was in Tihar Jail.

He defeated the National Conference vice president -- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin of more than two lakh votes.

Encouraged by the voter response in the Lok Sabha election, Engineer Rashid fielded candidates at many places in the Valley for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

His Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) fielded candidates for more than 20 Assembly seats, but could win just one assembly seat of Langate assembly constituency, which Engineer Rashid had himself represented twice in the past.

His brother got elected to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly. He is the lone AIP member in the assembly.

Engineer Rashid had been earlier given interim bail because of the failing health of his parents. He campaigned for AIP candidates while on interim bail.

After the expiry of the bail period, Engineer Rashid surrendered before the Tihar Jail officials and has since been in imprisonment.

He was given custodial bail to be sworn in as the member of the Lok Sabha.

--IANS

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