NEW DELHI – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday gave consent for incarcerated Engineer Rashid to take oath as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha on July 5, following his exclusion from the initial oath-taking ceremony in the 18th Lok Sabha. This permission is conditional, stipulating that Rashid refrains from interacting with the media.
The development came to the surface during the court proceedings when the Patiala House Court in Delhi was hearing the incarcerated Engineer Rashid’s application for a grant of interim bail or custody parole so that he could be sworn in as a member of the Lok Sabha.
The NIA counsel told the court that the agency has no objection if the court allows Engineer Rashid to be sworn in as the Lok Sabha member.
The counsel, however, pleaded that certain restrictions like no media interaction be imposed on Engineer Rashid if he is allowed to be sworn in by the court.
The court is likely to announce its verdict on Tuesday.
Engineer Rashid defeated the former J&K Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah in north Kashmir’s Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency by a huge margin of over two lakh votes. -IANS
