A court in New Delhi has granted a two-hour custody parole to Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, allowing the jailed Kashmiri politician to take his oath as a Indian Lok Sabha member on July 5.

According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Wednesday, Engineer Rashid, a former MLA from the Langate Assembly constituency in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, had sought interim bail or custody parole to fulfil his parliamentary duties. The court order, issued by Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, came following approval from the India’s dreaded National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Rashid’s lawyer, Vikhyat Oberoi, confirmed that the court allowed Rashid’s family to accompany him during the oath-taking ceremony and complete the necessary MP registration process. Rashid has been incarcerated since 2019 under charges by the NIA for his alleged involvement in a funding case and is currently held in Tihar Jail, New Delhi.

In a parallel development, the Punjab Government has applied to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for parole for National Security Act detainee Amritpal Singh to take his oath as Khadoor Sahib MP.

Amritpal Singh, who garnered over four lakh votes, faces a decision from the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding his parole application. His proponents emphasize his commitment to tackling local issues such as drug abuse and youth welfare, asserting that he deserves a chance to demonstrate his effectiveness as a public representative.