Delhi Police oppose quashing of FIRs against residents who hosted Tablighi Jamaat

Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed pleas filed for quashing FIRs against residents of Chandni Mahal area for hosting foreign attendees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March 2020.

Delhi: Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed pleas filed for quashing FIRs against residents of Chandni Mahal area for hosting foreign attendees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in March 2020, saying they gave shelter to the attendees who travelled from the Nizamuddin Markaz in violation of the prohibitory orders imposed on movement to contain the spread of Covid-19.

In a status report filed in response to the petitions by the accused to dismiss the criminal proceedings, the city police said that the members of the Jamaat were residing in Nizamuddin Markaz from March 26, 2020 to March 31, 2020 but were found to be present in Chandni Mahal area in Central Delhi on April 1, 2020.

The investigating agency said that the accused in the present set of FIRs admitted and accommodated the assembly of the Jamaat on their premises after the prohibitory order on movement was issued by authorities.

The counsel for the petitioners, lawyer Ashima Mandla, told Justice Mukta Gupta that the factual stand of the investigating agency was incongruous. The judge granted time to the petitioners to file a rejoinder to the police’s status report and listed the case for further hearing on February 28.