NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MAY 17
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had filed a PIL before the Madras High Court seeking to direct the Tamilnadu government to bring back Muslims who had gone to attend Tablighi Jamath conference in New Delhi but tested negative, said its spokesman A.K. Kareem here on Sunday.
Following the PIL, over 1,100 Tamils, including 700 Tablighis, have been sent by a special train by the Delhi government on Saturday evening.
A release issued by Kareem on Sunday said that State General Secretary of SDPI AS Umar Farooq had filed the PIL in Madras High Court to bring back Tablighi’s stranded and quarantined after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Delhi by the government in various facilities.
Admitting the case, the Madras High Court had issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government on May 7 to file its status report on May 11. When the state government failed to submit the status report, the case was taken up by a bench of Justices Vineet Kothari and Pushpa Satyanaranaya on May 12.
When the judges raised a question on the expenses to be incurred on bringing back Tablighis, SDPI advocate Ajmal Khan argued that if the government failed to bear the expenses, their client was ready to bear the costs. Hearing his argument, the bench directed the petitioner to file an additional affidavit in this regard.
When the case came up again on Friday (May 15), the Tamil Nadu government had informed the court that arrangements were made for the transportation of the Tablighis from New Delhi on May 16.
As a result of this, over 1,100 people, including 700 Tablighis, from Tamil Nadu had left by a Shramik Special Train from New Delhi at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Tablighis returning from Delhi will be screened at Tambaram Railway Station on Sunday night and would be quarantined at a college campus in Siruseri on the outskirts of Chennai by the government, said Kareem.
The special train will run up to Tirunelveli, Tabilighs hailing from intervening stations are also travelling in the same train, SDPI sources said.
