On Monday, 19 October, a Metropolitan Magistrate court in Andheri, Mumbai, acquitted 20 foreign nationals who had been charged for not disclosing they had attended the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Nizamuddin in New Delhi in February.
The group included 10 people from Indonesia and 10 from Kyrgyzstan. They had been booked separately by the DM Nagar Police after receiving identical information from an informant about both groups arriving in Mumbai after attending the Tablighi meet in Delhi, and then they allegedly “visited various places and persons and spread the infection.” They were also claimed to have violated lockdown norms and orders of the Police Commissioner.
However, the court found that the entire case was baseless as the prosecution had failed to prove anything in support of the charge under Sections 37 and 135 of the Bombay Police Act, of violating police orders.
“Thus there is no iota of evidence with prosecution to show any contravention of order by accused persons beyond all shadow of doubt. During imposition of lockdown and their ultimate shelter in mosque or nearby will not render them responsible for such contravention.”Orders of Metropolitan Magistrate RR Khan