NEW DELHI: A court on Thursday dismissed 44 pleas filed by the Delhi Police challenging the order of a magistrate’s court by which the foreigners were discharged for attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation here by allegedly violating visa norms, malignantly spreading infection of disease dangerous to life and disobeying quarantine rules.
Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said the revision petitions were devoid of merits. The magistrate court had on August 24 framed charges against 36 foreigners under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 3 (disobeying regulation) of Epidemic Act, 1897.
The charges were also framed under section 51 (obstruction) Disaster Management Act, 2005. However, they were discharged for the offences under section 14 (1) (b) (violation of visa norms) of Foreigners Act, sections 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271 (Disobedience to quarantine rule) of IPC.
The punishment for the offences for which they have been charged ranges from six months to eight years of imprisonment. The police had filed revision petitions seeking framing of charges against the 36 foreigners for the offences for which they were discharged.
The police had also filed revision petitions against the order of the magistrate court by which eight foreign nationals from six countries were discharged of all charges under which they were charge sheeted in the absence of any record or any credible material against them.