Lucknow, Feb 19 (IANS): The chief judicial magistrate Lucknow, Sushil Kumari, has discharged 17 members of Tablighi Jamaat, booked during the Covid-induced lockdown, from the various charges under IPC, Foreign Act and Epidemic Diseases Act.

The court observed that there was no prima-facie evidence on record to make the accused persons stand trial in the case.

Out of 17, seven are foreign nationals while ten are Indians.

The foreign nationals include Idras Umar, Adekushtiwa Samshulhadi, Imam Safi, Sarno, Hendera Simbolo, Satijo Jodisono Bedjo and Dedik Skander-- all from Indonesia.

The foreign nationals had pleaded that they had come to India on valid visa and passport on January 20 last year and the first case of Covid in Indonesia was reported on March 2, 2020.

The police had booked them under Sections 188, 269, 270 and 271 of IPC; Section 14 of Foreign Act and Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act.

They are already on bail in the case.

Similarly, the court also gave clean chit to ten Indian Jamatis including Ashraf P.K., Shahjahan Ali, Khwaja Sabihuddin, Mohammad Shakil, Mohammad Ahmad, Dr. Masiullah Khan, Mohammad Tariq, Wasim Ahmad, Mohammad Mustafa and Rizwanul Haq.

The court also discharged Professor Mohd Shahid of Allahabad University for want of evidence.

Filing the applications for their discharge, the accused had submitted that from perusal of record, it was apparent that there was no prima facie evidence on the basis of which the court should proceed to conduct the trial and, hence, if the pleas of the accused were not allowed, they would suffer irreparable loss.

After perusal of entire records, the court found that there was no adequate evidence to call the accused to face the trial.