Delhi govt to release Tablighi Jamaat members with no COVID-19 symptoms from quarantine: HC told

The Delhi High Court was informed on Friday that the AAP government has decided to release the members of Tablighi Jamaat, who have completed mandatory quarantine and show no coronavirus symptoms.

The submission was made at the outset of the hearing on a petition seeking release of nearly 3300 Tablighi Jamaat members, who have been put under various quarantine centers for nearly 40 days and not released despite negative reports of COVID-19.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, was told by the counsel for the petitioner that they wish to withdraw the petition as the Delhi government has already directed for release of Tablighi Jamaat members who do not show any symptoms of COVID-19.

The court allowed petitioner Sabiha Quadri, a social worker, to withdraw the plea.

The plea, filed through advocate Shahid Ali, had alleged that many people have been illegally lodged in quarantine centers and submitted that several persons who are staying in those centers have written letters to the authorities but they have not been considered.

It had sought direction to the authorities to comply with the guidelines of 14 days quarantine and to constitute a high level committee to enquire as to whether continuous confinement of members of Tablighi Jamaat is violative of the provisions of the Constitution.

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After being exposed to a large gathering on March 31 amid the COVID-19 or coronavirus lockdown many members of Tablighi Jamaat from Markaz Hazrat Nizamuddin were taken out by the authorities and lodged in different quarantine centres in Delhi. Some of them were sent to the centres a few days later after being detained from various mosques.

“A total of 3288 people from Tablighi Jamaat have been put under different quarantine centers and till date none has been released from there, despite the fact that they are not in any manner infected with the disease (coronavirus) and in case of many members, three consecutive reports with negative endorsement have come,” the plea said.

The Centre was represented through advocate Amit Mahajan in the proceedings.

On May 6, the Delhi government had said the Tablighi Jamaat members who have completed mandatory quarantine and show no coronavirus symptoms can go home.

In April, COVID-19 cases in Delhi spiked after hundreds of many Tablighi Jamaat members, who had attended a large congregation in Nizamuddin, tested positive. 

The other members were directly taken to quarantine centres to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

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