The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed the offering of namaaz by a congregation of up to 50 persons five times a day in Bangley Wali Masjid of Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi. The mosque was sealed after the hatemongering Indian media and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal unleashed a vilification campaign against them.
The mosque was shut on 23 March when the total number of COVID-19 cases in India stood at less than a few thousand. The Indian government had maintained that the country faced no pandemic by then. Yet, a widespread campaign was unleashed against the members of the Tablighi Jamaat by the Islamophobic Indian media and Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, who returned to power with the support of Muslims in Delhi, had to face widespread condemnation after he decided to single out the alleged role of the Nizamuddin Markaz in the spread of the pandemic in his daily press briefings. Several high courts in the country had exonerated the members of the Tablighi Jamaat as they acquitted them of charges.
Delhi High Court permits upto 50 persons to perform namaz 5 times a day in Bangley Wali Masjid of Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi which was shut since Mar 23 last year due to FIRs against #TablighiJamat congregation. @shreyagarwal12 reports
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) April 15, 2021
The latest order by the Delhi High Court, according to Livelaw, has been passed on a plea moved by the Delhi Waqf Board seeking permission for namaaz during the Holy month of Ramadan.
The high court told the Waqf Board lawyer, “This order had to be passed only because other places are open, but you must understand that the situation in Delhi is grim.”
The latest order coincided with Kejriwal announcing a curfew over the weekend to deal with the alarming rise in the coronavirus pandemic.