Jamaat congregation: Delhi court allows nationals from Kenya, Mali, Sri Lanka to walk free

A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed some foreign nationals from Kenya, Mali, and Sri Lanka to walk free on plea bargaining after they accepted mild charges in connection with the case related to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area.

Plea bargaining is an arrangement between the prosecutor and the defendant, in which the accused pleads guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a lenient sentence or an agreement to drop other charges.

Metropolitan Magistrate Dev Choudhary asked the nationals of Djibouti, Mali, Kenya, and Sri Lanka to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each in plea bargaining, while some nationals from Tanza, Niger and three Sri Lankans claimed trial.

These foreign nationals were represented by advocate Ashima Mandla.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash, another judge hearing the Jamaat matters, allowed Myanmar nationals, who filed plea bargaining application, to walk free after paying fines of Rs 5,000. However, some others claimed trial. They were all represented by advocate Fahim Khan.

Meanwhile, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Gurmohina Kaur granted bail to 150 Indonesia nationals asking them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000. Their Plea bargaining application will be filed tomorrow, said their advocates Ashima Mandla, Mandakini Singh, and Fahim Khan.

Notably, the congregation in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital in March this year had reportedly emerged as an epicenter for the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The court had 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 had 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.

( With inputs from ANI )