Delhi court allows foreign Jamaat attendees who accepted mild charges to walk free
Jul 13, 2020
New Delhi [India], July 13 : A Delhi court on Monday allowed foreign nationals from 14 countries including the UK, Algeria, Belgium, and others, who have accepted mild charges in connection with the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin, to walk free.
Metropolitan Magistrate Himanshu allowed plea bargaining application of several foreign nationals from Algeria, Belgium, UK, Egypt, and the Philippines asking them to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each.
However, a few Jordan nationals have decided to go to trial to face the charges levelled against them by the Delhi Police in connection with the congregation, which had become an epicentre of coronavirus spread across the country.
Foreign nationals from Algeria, Jordan, UK, and Philippines were represented by advocates Ashima Mandla, while nationals from Egypt and Belgium were represented by advocates Ahmed Khan and Fahim Khan.
Metropolitan Magistrate Ashish Gupta, another judge hearing the Jamaat cases, slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 each against five Sudanese nationals while accepting their plea bargaining application. Two Sudanese nationals, however, claimed trial.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Magistrate Paras Dalal also asked Chinese, Moroccan, Ukrainian, Ethiopian nationals to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each while accepting their plea bargaining application. A Russian national also claimed trial.
The court on July 6, said that there was prima facie sufficient material on record to proceed against the accused persons under Section14 (b) Foreigners Act, 1946, under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, and the Indian Penal Code.
Thereafter, the court had summoned all the accused foreign nationals on different dates who were chargesheteed in 48 chargesheets and 11 supplementary chargesheets, filed by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police.
The court has said that all the accused persons will appear through video conferencing.
In view of the guidelines issued by the Delhi High Court, the Delhi Police was also directed to facilitate the joining of the concerned official of the embassy for the purpose of identification of the accused persons and further proceedings.
