Tue Jul 29 03:00:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the provided text, followed by a news article rewrite:

**Summary:**

The Delhi High Court acquitted 70 members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who were accused of violating lockdown protocols in March 2020 by housing foreign participants of a religious congregation in their Nizamuddin Markaz. The court found that the congregation was planned before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and participants were already present at the Markaz when the lockdown was imposed. The court also noted the lack of proper notification regarding Section 144, banning large gatherings and the absence of evidence that the accused were COVID-positive or defied government orders. The initial accusations against the Tablighi Jamaat members included them being blamed for the spread of COVID-19, resulting in a media frenzy using terms like “Corona Jehad”. Many foreign participants had been acquitted previously in lower courts.
**News Article:**

**Delhi High Court Acquits Tablighi Jamaat Members in COVID-19 Lockdown Case**

**New Delhi, July 29, 2025** – The Delhi High Court has acquitted 70 members of the Tablighi Jamaat, reversing earlier accusations that they violated lockdown protocols by sheltering foreign attendees of a religious gathering at the Nizamuddin Markaz in March 2020. The ruling brings to a close a controversial case that sparked significant media and political criticism at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, presiding over the Mohammed Anwar versus State of NCT of Delhi case, stated that the congregation was planned before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The court also noted that attendees were already present at the Markaz when the nationwide lockdown was suddenly imposed on March 24, 2020.

“There is nothing on record to show that they had congregated after the promulgation of the Notification under Section 144 Criminal Penal Code,” the court said in its ruling.

The High Court also raised concerns about the lack of proper notification of Section 144, which prohibits large gatherings, and the absence of any evidence that the accused individuals were COVID-positive or had violated government orders by leaving the premises during the lockdown.

“There is no averment to show that any information was actually conveyed to the petitioners,” the court stated.

Following the imposition of the lockdown, Delhi Police had filed FIRs against numerous Indian and foreign participants, accusing them of violating lockdown measures. However, these FIRs have now been dismissed.

The case had become a flashpoint in early stages of the pandemic, with some media outlets and political figures accusing the Tablighi Jamaat of deliberately spreading the virus.

It is important to note that prior to this High Court ruling, eight foreign participants were acquitted in August 2020 by the south-east districts court in Saket, New Delhi, and 36 more were acquitted in December.

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