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Over five years on since Covid-19 outbreak,  70 Indians associated with Tablighi Jamaat were accused of spreading the disease, the Delhi High Court Thursday quashed the charges in 16 FIRs and subsequent proceedings, including the chargesheets in the cases.

 

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna pronounced in the open court that the proceedings stand quashed.This means the legal cases and formal charges filed by the police have now been cancelled. A total of 16 FIRs naming 70 Indians as accused were challenged before the High Court.n early April, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, an international Muslim missionary group, the Tablighi Jamaat, was charged of aggravating the health emergency.

The  Court  quashed 16 cases registered against 70 Indian nationals for allegedly sheltering foreigners who participated in the Tablighi Jamaat congregation  in 2020 amid outbreak of first wave of Covid pandemic,  a time when grouping in clusters was strictly prohibited. 

The accused were booked under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act and the Foreigners Act.

 

The Delhi Police argued that the accused violated the nationwide lockdown and other prohibitory orders by housing foreign nationals.Because of this, the accused were charged under several Indian laws, including The Indian Penal Code (IPC),The Epidemic Diseases Act,The Disaster Management Act. The Foreigners Act, Delhi Police claimed that the accused broke lockdown rules and other emergency guidelines by allowing foreigners to stay in their homes or premises. According to the police, this act was a violation of government orders meant to stop the spread of coronavirus.

 

The legal battle was taken up by Advocates Ashima Mandla and Mandakini Singh, who represented the 70 petitioners in the case. They argued that the FIRs were unjust and should be dismissed.Advocates Ashima Mandla and Mandakini Singh appeared for the petitioners in the case.Delhi Police was represented through Additional Standing Counsel (ASC) Amol Sinha as well as advocates Kshitiz Garg, Nitish Dhawan, Rahul Kochar, Chavi Lazarus and Sanskriti Nimbekar.