Jailed Kashmiri leader Engineer Rashid seeks interim bail after Lok Sabha victory
Baramulla: Kashmiri politician Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, who has been incarcerated since 2019 on terror-funding charges, has filed a plea in a Delhi court for interim bail. His move comes on the heels of his victory in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, where he triumphed over former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Abdul Rashid Sheikh secured a remarkable win, garnering over 2 lakh votes more than his closest rival in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. Despite being behind bars, his political power has resonated deeply with voters in the region.
Article 99 of the Constitution mandates that every Member of Parliament must take an oath before the President before commencing their duties. Accordingly, Rashid's legal counsel, advocate Vikhyat Oberoi, has petitioned the court for interim bail or custody parole to enable his client to fulfill this constitutional obligation.
The matter was heard in the special Patiala House Court in Delhi, with arguments underway and further proceedings scheduled for the following day. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to respond to the application.
Rashid's unexpected electoral victory has sparked calls for his release from various quarters, including former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
