[Coronavirus] Gujarat HC seeks report on individuals who attended Tablighi Jamaat meet in Nizamuddin, New Delhi

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Government to file a complete report to the Court and the Gujarat Government on details of all participants of the recent Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin West, New Delhi who have entered State of Gujarat. .The Central Government's report is to be submitted in sealed cover to the High Court by the next hearing later this week. .Information is to be provided on all participants, irrespective of their nationality and who have entered State of Gujarat. The details sought by the Court include visa information, nationality of participants and the number of participants belonging to Gujarat..The Bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ashutosh J Shastri added that the report should clearly denote how many such individuals have been identified as belonging to State of Gujarat and the steps taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in case they have been detained in Delhi..The High Court has added that if the report submitted is not found to be satisfactory on the next date of hearing, the Court may proceed to take such coercive measures as may be deemed appropriate..The Court was acting on media reports that several people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat meet were afflicted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), with 8 such persons reportedly having died from the disease across the country recently. .The matter was taken up on an urgent basis by video conferencing, after it came to be reported that least 200 participants who had travelled to Gujarat may have been infected by the deadly virus..While dealing with the suo moto matter, the court also took cognisance of the death of one person in Gujarat who had participated in the congregation. The Court has expressed concern that no one knew where all these 200 or more members of the congregation were now based in the State of Gujarat..By the order passed today, the State Government has now been directed to report on the steps taken by them for:Identifying those individuals;Quarantine, testing and other steps taken with regard to such persons;Gathering details of those people who have been untraceable, if any;Imposing restrictions on gatherings at worship places and for the strict compliance of directions issued by the Government as well as the High Court on this aspect. .In the course of hearing, the Court also recalled that in its March,20 order, it had directed the State Government to ensure that no public gathering took place in all the places of worship in the State. The Bench reiterated its appeal to one and all to avoid such religious gatherings and stay at home..The Court proceeded to remark,."We leave it open to the State to take all measures preventive or coercive as may be deemed necessary to carry out not only the guidelines and directions issued by the Central Government, the State Government but also by this Court in order to effectively contain and prevent the deadly Virus from spreading any further."Gujarat High Court.The Advocate General Kamal B Trivedi, appearing for State of Gujarat, today informed the Bench that the Government was already in the process of identifying and tracing not only the members of the said congregation having travelled to Gujarat but also the details of the other persons coming in close contact with the said members..Assistant Solicitor General Devang Vyas, for the Union of India, further assured the Court that the Central Government would share data regarding the participants, once collected, with all states including Gujarat...Vyas also provided a brief Note containing the relevant facts of this Tablighi Jamaat crisis as and the steps being taken to identify and trace participants to control the possible spread of COVID-19. .He further submitted that the foreign nationals who were a part of the Tablighi Jamaat as Preachers had entered the country on Tourist Visas, as against Missionary Visas, which were location and event specific and entailed thorough scrutiny. .He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs had identified such foreigners and necessary steps were being taken with due diligence..The matter has been listed to be taken up next on April 3..Read the order here: