Allahabad High Court Quashes COVID-Era Criminal Case Against Two Men Linked to Nizamuddin Markaz Gathering

On September 18, 2026, Justice Dr Gautam Chowdhary of the Allahabad High Court ordered the complete quashing of criminal proceedings against Mohd Faizan and an unnamed co-accused. The men had been booked in 2020 for allegedly attending a religious congregation at Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz during the early COVID-19 outbreak. The bench held that the prosecution rested solely on a presumption of infection, while the applicants’ COVID-19 tests were negative, making the trial an abuse of process.

The Indian ExpressAllahabad High Court Quashes Covid Cases Against Two Men Linked To Nizamuddin Markaz Six Years Later, Allahabad HC Clears Two Muslim Men Falsely Implicated Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit During Covid

During the pandemic’s first months, Indian authorities invoked the Disaster Management Act 2005, the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, and sections of the Indian Penal Code to prosecute suspected spreaders. Police alleged the two men traveled to the Markaz, returned to Jaunpur, and failed to inform officials, creating a fear of transmission. Similar charges were filed against other attendees.

Allahabad High Court Quashes Covid Cases Against Two Men Linked To Nizamuddin Markaz

• Accused: 2 men (Mohd Faizan and a co-accused).

Six Years Later, Allahabad HC Clears Two Muslim Men Falsely Implicated Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit During Covid

• Legal provisions cited: IPC §§ 188, 269, 307; Disaster Management Act § 51(b); Epidemic Diseases Act § 3.

Six Years Later, Allahabad HC Clears Two Muslim Men Falsely Implicated Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit During Covid

• COVID-19 test results: Both applicants tested negative after quarantine; the State did not dispute these results.

The Hindu

The bench relied on Supreme Court precedents in State of Haryana v. Ch. Bhajan Lal and Prashant Bharti v. State (NCT of Delhi), which allow courts to quash proceedings when the allegations, even if accepted, do not constitute an offence or when the case is manifestly mala fide. Accordingly, the High Court invoked its inherent power under Section 528 of the BNSS to dismiss the case.

From Nizamuddin Markaz To Criminal Case: Allahabad HC Quashes Proceedings Against Two Men Who Tested Negative Six Years Later, Allahabad HC Clears Two Muslim Men Falsely Implicated Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit During Covid Allahabad High Court Quashes Covid Cases Against Two Men Linked To Nizamuddin Markaz

The State’s counsel did not contest the applicants’ negative test results or the court’s view of the FIR’s speculative basis.

Six Years Later, Allahabad HC Clears Two Muslim Men Falsely Implicated Over Nizamuddin Markaz Visit During Covid

The judgment underscores judicial scrutiny of pandemic-related prosecutions that rely on speculative infection risk rather than concrete evidence. By applying established Supreme Court criteria, the Allahabad High Court set a precedent that may influence pending cases against other participants of the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering.

Allahabad High Court Quashes Covid Cases Against Two Men Linked To Nizamuddin Markaz

With the High Court’s order, the criminal case against the two men is closed, and no further judicial proceedings are indicated. The decision may prompt review of other COVID-era cases filed on comparable grounds.

From Nizamuddin Markaz To Criminal Case: Allahabad HC Quashes Proceedings Against Two Men Who Tested Negative