Reports of Tablighi Jamaat chief not cooperating with govt agencies baseless, says lawyer

Tablighi Jamaat Markaz's chief Maulana Saad's lawyer Tauseef Khan on Thursday dismissed reports that his client is absconding and not cooperating with various government agencies since the Nizamuddin Markaz COVID-19 case first came to light.

"Maulana Saad's family members are cooperating with the investigating agencies. It is baseless to say that they are absconding and not cooperating," Khan told .

Asked about the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registering a money laundering case against Saad, he said: "Through media reports, it has come to my notice that ED has registered a money laundering case against Maulana Saad and others. It is wrong to say this as I have not got any information about it yet."

The ED on Thursday registered a money laundering case against Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a predicate offence registered by Delhi Police, sources said.The sources told that nine people including Saad are on the ED radar."The ED will also investigate the trust of Maulana Saad, transactions of trust and people involved in transactions," a source said.On March 31, Delhi Police registered a case against Saad and other members of Tablighi Jamaat under Section 3 of Epidemic Disease Act 1897 read with sections 269, 270, 271 and 120-B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of government directions given to the management of Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin regarding restriction of "social/political/religious" gatherings and for taking safety measures, including social distancing, for prevention of COVID-19 viral infection.Later Delhi police added Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC after several attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat event succumbed to coronavirus.The congregation at Markaz in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi of Tablighi Jamaat has become an epicentre of coronavirus spread, with several who attended the event testing positive and infecting hundreds of others across the country.The Delhi Police had earlier issued notices to the Jamaat chief in connection with the gathering orgsed in Delhi.

( With inputs from ANI )