In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed 16 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against 70 Indian nationals who were accused of sheltering foreign participants of the Tablighi Jamaat congregation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, who presided over the case, passed the order stating, “Chargesheets quashed.” A detailed judgment is expected to be released soon.
The FIRs alleged that the accused had housed over 190 foreign nationals associated with the Tablighi Jamaat during the early phase of the pandemic, allegedly violating nationwide lockdown norms and other emergency regulations. The accused were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, and the Foreigners Act.
Delhi Police contended that these individuals had contravened government orders by accommodating foreign nationals at a time when strict prohibitions were in place.
The petitioners were represented by advocates Ashima Mandla and Mandakini Singh. The Delhi Police was represented by Additional Standing Counsel Amol Sinha along with a team of advocates including Kshitiz Garg, Nitish Dhawan, Rahul Kochar, Chavi Lazarus, and Sanskriti Nimbekar.
