New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) The Delhi Police while opposing a plea seeking transfer of the case relating to the Tablighi Jamaat to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), told the Delhi High Court that the “investigation is going on in a fine manner”
“The investigation is going in accordance with the law and is being handled by one premier department (Crime Branch),” Delhi government senior standing counsels Rahul Mehra and Chaitanya Gossain submitted.
The submissions were made while a division bench of the high court presided by Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani was hearing a petition filed by Ghanshyam Upadhyay seeking transfer of the investigation from Delhi Police to NIA of a case lodged against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad for holding a congregation of the organisation’s followers in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings, to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Mehra questioned the locus standi of the petitioner and argued that the petition is “not maintainable”
Following which, the court asked the petitioner to submit on record the provisions and case laws which he is placing reliance on by the next date of hearing and posted the matter for May 28.
The plea alleged that “from media reports and evidence so far collected by Delhi Police Crime Branch, it is now axiomatic that Maulana Saad and his henchmen conspired to spread and transmit coronavirus in different parts of the country, with oblique and ulterior motive of causing massive deaths all over the country and thereby to derail the Government of India in preventing the deadly disease.”
On March 31, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police lodged a FIR against seven persons, including the cleric, on a complaint by Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station here for holding a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat followers in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings.
The Enforcement Directorate has also filed a money laundering case against Saad, trusts links to the Jamaat and others.
The agencies, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Crime Branch of Delhi Police and Income Tax (IT), are examining the bank accounts operated by Jamaat’s chief Maulana Saad and his aides to figure out whether these transactions made by key players violated the integrity of the banking and financial system because in several cases money received in one account was transferred to another account within 24 hours.
–IANS
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