Tablighi Jamaat case: Delhi Police to file 15 more chargesheets against 294 foreigners

Delhi Police PRO Anil Mittal said Wednesday that in addition to 20 charge-sheets filed yesterday, 15 more will be filed today. He said, "Accused persons are being charged for violation of visa rules, and the Centre has cancelled their visas and blacklisted them."

A day after 20 chargesheets were filed in the Saket court against 82 foreign nationals in the Tablighi Jamaat case, the Delhi police said it will file 15 more chargesheets against 294 foreigners, who belong to 14 countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and some African nations, on Wednesday.

Delhi Police spokesperson M S Randhawa said Tuesday, “This is regarding the religious gathering (Markaz) which congregated at Banglewali Masjid, Nizamuddin, on March 13 and beyond, in which a large number of Muslim foreign nationals had also participated.” He said that these foreign nationals had “entered India on a tourist visa and had participated in the above Markaz illegally. Randhawa said, “these foreign nationals also led to a situation where a highly infectious disease such as Covid-19 spread and threatened the lives of the inmates and the general public at large.”

On March 31, an FIR was filed under sections of The Epidemic Diseases Act, the Disaster Management Act, the Foreigners Act, and relevant sections of the IPC, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, was registered. The matter is being investigated by the Crime Branch. Over 2,300 attendees were evacuated from the premises March-end, and sent to quarantine centres and hospitals.

Delhi Police PRO Anil Mittal said Wednesday that in addition to 20 charge-sheets filed yesterday, 15 more will be filed today. He said, “Accused persons are being charged for violation of visa rules, and the Centre has cancelled their visas and blacklisted them.”

Apart from this, they have been charged under sections of the Epidemic Act, Disaster Management Act, and have been charged of acting negligently in a way that is likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life, and disobeying quarantine rule, said Mittal.

On Tuesday, Randhawa claimed that more than 900 foreign nationals who are accused in this case belong to 34 countries, and that charge-sheets are being prepared country-wise.