New Delhi, Apr 1 Independent MP from Jammu and Kashmir, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that either people should not be allowed to contest elections from jail, or if they are, they should be free to attend House proceedings.
Participating in a debate on the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, Sheikh insisted that he was not referring to his own case, but as a general principle for legislators.
He said that when a session is convened by the president, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) often opposes his demand to attend Parliament.
Sheikh said that if a person wins elections, the system should have faith in the person and he or she should be allowed to attend Parliament or the state assembly without hindrance.
He also wondered why he had been put in Tihar jail, even though he was accused of committing crimes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail here since 2019, when he was arrested by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a 2017 terror funding case.
He was granted custody parole in January to attend the ongoing Budget session of Parliament. Custody parole entails a prisoner being escorted by armed police personnel to his place of visit.
He represents Baramulla in the Lok Sabha as an Independent MP.