Allahabad High Court Quashes COVID Case Against Two Men Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit
Court says the two men were falsely implicated on the basis of presumption and assumption after their COVID tests came back negative
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against two men who were booked during the COVID 19 pandemic over their alleged visit to the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi.
A bench headed by Justice Dr Gautam Chowdhary allowed a petition filed by Faizan and another accused, challenging the chargesheet and subsequent proceedings pending before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Jaunpur.
The case originated from an FIR registered on April 2, 2020, at Shahganj Police Station in Jaunpur. Police had alleged that the two men had travelled to the Nizamuddin Markaz to attend a religious gathering and later returned home without informing the authorities.
The FIR was based on concerns that the men might have contracted coronavirus and could potentially spread the infection to others. They were subsequently medically examined and placed in quarantine. Their COVID 19 tests, however, were reported to be negative.
The men were booked under Sections 188, 269 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.
Before the High Court, their counsel argued that the criminal case had been initiated on the basis of apprehension rather than evidence that the accused were infected or had actually transmitted the virus.
After examining the material before it, the High Court observed that the applicants had been falsely implicated on the basis of presumption and assumption. The court consequently quashed the criminal proceedings against them.
The Nizamuddin Markaz gathering became a major focus of public and media attention during the early months of the COVID 19 pandemic. Several people associated with the gathering faced criminal cases in different parts of the country under laws relating to infectious diseases, lockdown restrictions and other alleged violations.
The handling and reporting of the Markaz gathering also became the subject of criticism, with rights groups and other observers raising concerns about communal stereotyping and the treatment of Muslims during the pandemic.
Courts in different parts of the country have subsequently examined several cases connected to the gathering. In July 2025, the Delhi High Court also quashed multiple FIRs involving Indian nationals accused of providing shelter to foreign Tablighi Jamaat participants.
The Allahabad High Court’s latest order brings the criminal proceedings against the two men in the Jaunpur case to an end.