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J&K MP Engineer Rashid Granted Custody Parole To Attend Budget Session Of Parliament
ABP Live News | January 24, 2026 4:11 PM CST

The Patiala House Court in Delhi on Monday granted custody parole to Baramulla Member of Parliament Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, allowing him to attend the Budget Session of Parliament from January 28 to April 2 whenever Parliament is in session.

The court’s order permits Rashid to participate in all sittings of the Budget Session under custody parole arrangements. He will remain in police custody and be housed within the Parliamentary security framework during his attendance in the House.

Confirming the development, Rashid’s counsel, Advocate Nishita Gupta, said that he has been granted parole to attend all parliamentary sessions related to the Budget. She added that the matter is currently pending before the High Court.

Rashid, who represents the Baramulla constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, will be escorted by police during the period of custody parole, in accordance with the court’s directions.

In November 2025, the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict on Abdul Rashid Sheikh’s plea seeking modification of a condition requiring him to pay nearly ₹4 lakh towards travel and deployment expenses for attending Parliament.

While Justice Vivek Chaudhary dismissed the plea, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani allowed it, leading to the matter being placed before Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, the Master of the Roster, for administrative directions.

During the hearing, Rashid’s counsel argued that the imposition of daily custodial travel costs, including salaries of police personnel, amounted to a restriction on an elected Member of Parliament from discharging his constitutional duties. The counsel maintained that although Rashid was willing to bear reasonable expenses, the inclusion of police salaries went beyond the provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules.

Opposing the plea, the Delhi Police justified the calculation, stating that the amount reflected deployment charges, logistical arrangements, and security requirements necessary for escorting an undertrial MP to Parliament.

Engineer Rashid, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Tihar Jail and secured a decisive victory over National Conference vice-president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by a margin exceeding two lakh votes.

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