Allahabad High Court quashes case against 2 over Covid-time visit to Nizamuddin Markaz

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed criminal charges against two men who were arrested during the Covid-19 pandemic for attending a religious gathering at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz. Justice Dr Gautam Chowdhary ruled on September 18 that the case was based on false and frivolous allegations, as the men's Covid tests later came back negative.

The original FIR was filed in 2020 after police received information about the men traveling to the Nizamuddin Markaz for a religious event and staying at home with family members, without informing authorities. They were apprehended due to concerns they could be Covid-positive and spread the virus. The court noted that the men were falsely implicated with ulterior motives and only on the basis of presumption.

The decision comes after the Delhi High Court quashed 16 FIRs and related chargesheets against 70 individuals associated with the Tablighi Jamaat, an international Islamic religious group, who were accused of spreading the virus by organizing a congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz between March 13-15, 2020.