SC asks all District Courts to expedite matters involving foreign Tablighi Jamaat attendees

On Monday, the Apex Court asked all the District Courts concerned to expedite the hearing in the cases pending against foreign nationals, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area.

A bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar & also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari & Sanjiv Khanna, asked all the District Courts concerned to expedite the hearings involving foreign Jamaat attendees.

The petitioners submitted before the bench that even though 36 of the foreign Jamaat attendees were discharged by the Court under the Foreigners Act by various Sessions Courts in Maharashtra & other states, revision petitions have been filed by the Police.

"It has become a punishment for them, even after discharge the revision applications are filed, & matters will now be heard on November 7 & 10. They are not being allowed to go back to their countries," Senior Lawyer Chander Uday Singh, appearing for many petitioners, submitted.

The bench said that the Court hopes that the matters, involving these accused Jamatis, will be decided speedily & adjourned the matter for further hearing on Nov 20.

Several foreign nationals had attended the Markaz Tablighi Jamaat congregation in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi earlier in 2020, which had reportedly become an epicenter for COVID-19 spread across the country. 

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