The Patiala House Court on Saturday granted custody parole to jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Abdul Rashid Sheikh. This will allow him to attend the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.
The order was passed by Prashant Sharma, an Additional Sessions Judge. The court allowed Rashid, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, to take part in the Budget Session of the Lok Sabha starting January 28. He will remain under custody during his visits. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Engineer Rashid is an undertrial in a terror funding case. The court also clarified that the issue of who will pay the travel and security expenses during his custody parole will depend on the final decision of the Delhi High Court, where his appeal is still pending.
In November 2025, the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict on Rashid’s plea. He had requested a change in the condition that required him to pay nearly ₹4 lakh towards travel and police deployment costs for attending Parliament.
Justice Vivek Chaudhary rejected the plea, while Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani allowed it. Due to this difference, the matter was referred to Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya for further administrative directions.
Rashid’s lawyer argued that forcing an elected MP to pay daily custodial travel costs, including police salaries, limits his right to represent his voters. He said that while Rashid is ready to pay reasonable expenses, adding police salaries goes beyond the Delhi Prison Rules.
However, the Delhi Police defended the charges. They said the amount covers security arrangements, logistics, and deployment needed to escort an undertrial MP safely to Parliament.
Engineer Rashid is the chief of the Awami Ittehad Party. He contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from jail and won by a huge margin. He defeated Omar Abdullah, Vice-President of the National Conference, by more than two lakh votes.
Rashid is the sitting MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency. He continues to remain in judicial custody while facing allegations in a terror funding case.
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