He was one of the first mainstream politicians to be booked under various sections of the stringent anti-terror law.
The 56-year-old contested from the Baramulla parliamentary constituency in Kashmir on a ticket of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), whose election symbol was a pressure cooker.
AIP office bearers had filed the nomination papers on Rashid’s behalf before the Returning Officer.
“According to Representation of the People Act, 1951 does not debar undertrials from contesting elections or holding public office,” Yashaswini Basu, who works with Vidhi Centre For Legal Policy, told The Quint.
Rashid was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2008, when he had won as an Independent from the Langate seat in Kupwara district.
Rashid was arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on 9 October 2021 – in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K – for his alleged links to a case related to funding terror activities in Kashmir. He has been in Tihar jail ever since. He was one of the first mainstream politicians to be booked under various sections of the stringent anti-terror law.
The 56-year-old contested from the Baramulla parliamentary constituency in Kashmir on a ticket of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), whose election symbol was a pressure cooker. AIP office bearers had filed the nomination papers on Rashid’s behalf before the Returning Officer.
“According to Representation of the People Act, 1951 does not debar undertrials from contesting elections or holding public office,” Yashaswini Basu, who works with Vidhi Centre For Legal Policy, told The Quint. However, incarcerated candidates are not allowed to cast their vote as per the Act.
Rashid was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2008, when he had won as an Independent from the Langate seat in Kupwara district. He was re-elected from the seat in 2014.
