Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has ordered to drop cases against 30 Tablighis, including seven nationals of Indonesia and nine of Thailand, and directed police to release their passport and other documents to facilitate their return to their countries.
About 30 Tablighis, who had come to Prayagraj from Markaz Nizamuddin, were arrested by the police for violating Visa rules and spreading coronavirus under the Epidemic Act in April 2020. They were quarantined in Abdullah mosque at Shahganj area in the district for 15 days and then sent to Naini Central Jail on April 21 2020.
After languishing for five months in Naini Central Jail, they were granted bail in September 2020 with a direction not to leave the city in view of the ongoing trial in the court. They had taken shelter in Abdullah mosque since then.
Counsel for Indonesian Tablighis Syed Naseem said that they appealed in the Allahabad High Court against their arrest and trial. The High Court ordered the police to withdraw cases against them and return their passports and documents to facilitate their return to their countries, he added.
After the court order, the SHO Shahganj Jaychandra Sharma said that their passports, documents, mobile phones were returned and a police official escorted seven Indonesians to Delhi to catch flight for their country.
