In Markaz Case, Delhi High Court Directs Centre To File Affidavit Clarifying Stand On Restrictions On Congregations

Hearing a plea by the Delhi Waqf Board seeking permission for devotees to pray at the masjid in Nizamuddin Markaz during the period of Ramdaan, the Delhi High Court bench of Justice Mukta Gupta today directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to state on affidavit the stand taken today that all religious, political, academic, social, sports etc gatherings have been barred by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in light of spiking Covid-19 numbers in the capital.The submission was made a day after the centre told the Delhi High Court that the mosque could be made operational subject to DDMA's Covid-19 guidelines.The Nizamuddin Markaz building has been locked since Mar 31 last year when it was vacated following a Tablighi Jamaat congregation during the initial days of the Covid-19 outbreak in Delhi and the rest of the country.Appearing for the Centre and Delhi Police, Mehta refuted the claim of the Board's counsel, Sr. Adv. Ramesh Gupta that the restrictions were religiously discriminatory, and said, "There are 13,000 fresh Covid-19 cases in Delhi, Corona Virus cannot tell the difference between religions," he said.Appearing for the Board, Sr. Adv. Gupta however pointed out that several religious activities were still going on with large congregations, including the Kumbh Mela in Uttarakhand.He prayed that atleast 50 people be allowed to assemble at the masjid tomorrow as opposed to the currently permitted 5, however, the court refused to pass a decision at this stage, instead directing the Centre to file a detailed affidavit on the matter.The court also rapped Delhi MLA Amanatullah Khan for a video he released claiming that the court had permitted community prayers at the masjid, after perusing a police report ordered by it earlier, in which it has been said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) attempted to "pressurise" the police into reopening the entire seven-storey building.In its inspection report the police has further stated that only upto 20 people could be accommodated inside the mosque while maintaining social distancing as per Covid-19 safety protocol.At present, only 5 people are allowed at a time to offer Namaz at the Markaz.

In Markaz Case, Delhi High Court Directs Centre To File Affidavit Clarifying Stand On Restrictions On Congregations

Shreya Agarwal

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