COVID-19: India court says Tablighi foreigners made ‘scapegoats’

Aurangabad: In a significant verdict, the Bombay High Court has said that there is a possibility that Tablighis who attended the Markaz in Delhi were “chosen to make them scapegoats” and slammed the media propaganda attempting to blame them for spreading COVID-19 in India.

The court said, “It can be said that due to the present action taken fear was created in the minds of those Muslims. There is a smell of malice to take action against these foreigners and Muslims for their alleged activities.”

In the ruling on Friday, Bombay High Court (Aurangabad Bench) Justice T. V. Nalawade and Justice M.G. Sewlikar also quashed the first information reports against many Indians and foreigners who attended the Markaz congregation in the capital early this year.

“There was virtually persecution against these foreigners. A political government tries to find the scapegoat... and circumstances show that there is probability that these foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats,” the court ruled.

Making strong observations, the court said that there was “big propaganda in the print and electronic media against these foreigners and attempts were made to create a picture that these foreigners were responsible for the spread of coronavirus in India.”