New Delhi [India], April 2 : Lawyers of Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi have said that Tablighi Jamaat did not defy any order and a false FIR has been registered against its chief.
Several COVID-19 deaths have been linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event and over 150 people who attended the gathering tested positive for coronavirus.
An FIR has also been registered against Kandhlawi and others under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897 in Delhi.
Shahid Ali, one of the lawyers for Kandhlawi, said that Tablighi Jamaat was denied permission for the movement of people, who was present at Markaz building in Nizamuddin.
"There is an FIR stating that we have defied orders. It is incorrect. We followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directions of not going anywhere and stay where we are. It would a crime to violate this order. We have given an application at the police station on March 25 about a number of people present there (at Markaz). We urged them to make an arrangement so that they can go home," Ali told .
"We have also provided a list of people to SDM. We have asked him to allow the movement of vehicles. Kejriwal has a habit of doing communal politics. He did not give permission to them. A false FIR has been registered by him. Around 4,000 people come daily to Markaz. Those who came before the lockdown announcement could not go home. Those who got stranded asked for permission to go. We are ready for investigation," he said.
Advocate Musharraf Ali Khan, another lawyer, said that the people who visited Tablighi Jamaat should come forward and tell authorities about themselves.
"News related to Tablighi Jamaat is not correct. These rumours exist because we did not tell the truth to people. People know how Tablighi Jamaat works. If there is some carelessness on our part, it is a different issue. But people related to Tablighi Jamaat should help administration," he said.
"They should tell the police as there is nothing to hide. There is no need to misbehave with the police. A notice has been given to Maulana Saad. Reports that Maulana Saad has gone underground are incorrect," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )