On Tuesday, a Delhi Court passed an order acquitting 35 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event, which was held in March, of all charges framed against them. The accused, who were citizens of 14 different countries, had been charged for violating the government-imposed restrictions on public gatherings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 24, the court framed charges against the attendees under the Indian Penal Code for “disobedience [of an] order duly promulgated by [a] public servant” and “negligent [acts] likely to spread [the] infection of diseases dangerous to life.” They were also accused of “disobeying regulations” framed under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
According to the prosecution, the attendees of the event had failed to follow the “social distancing and other safety directions” that had been put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. The police authorities argued that the “accused persons had both malignantly and negligently participated and gathered inside the Markaz, thereby, increasing the spread of Corona Virus infection.”
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arun Kumar Garg, while passing the order, highlighted the contradictions in the witness testimonies and said that the prosecution had failed to “prove the presence of accused inside the Markaz premises.” He said, “It is beyond the comprehension of the court, as to how IO (Inspector Satish Kumar) could have identified 952 foreign nationals out of 2,343 persons who, as per SHO, were found flouting the guidelines, without any Test Identification Parade (TIP), but on the basis of list provided by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs).”
The Tablighi Jamaat congregation found itself at the centre of a controversy during the early months of the nationwide lockdown in India. On March 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs had urged states to be wary of the “potential carriers” from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, who were visiting India to attend the event. It further requested states to “screen, quarantine” and possibly even deport such individuals.
With over 9,000 attendees, including several participants from foreign countries, the event was maligned by the media and the government for causing a spike in COVID-19 cases after several infections were traced back to the event. In April, the Indian Health Ministry reported that out of the 14,378 infections in India, 4,291, that is about 30% of the cases, were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event.
Following the congregation, 952 foreigners were detained for violating the COVID-19 protocol. This included citizens from 14 different countries, including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Sudan, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Indonesia. Out of the 952, 908 accepted the offer of a plea bargain, which allowed them to evade trial in India, on the condition that they plead guilty for all charges. Out of the 44 foreigners who chose to stand trial, charges against eight were dismissed in August after now preliminary evidence was found against them.
36 Attendees of Tablighi Jamaat Event Acquitted by Delhi Court
36 foreigners from 14 countries were acquitted of all charges by the Delhi High Court. They had been charged for their alleged violation of COVID-19 norms during the Tablighi Jamaat event in March.
December 17, 2020
SOURCE: REDIFF