A peaceful group of itinerant Deobandi preachers who form one of al-Qaeda's recruiting arms...members, booked early last year for various offences during the COVID-19 lockdown, of all charges, saying there was no prima facie evidence on record to make them stand trial.
Out of the 17, seven are Indonesian nationals.
In the order passed on Wednesday, the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court observed that there was no prima facie evidence on record to make the accused persons stand trial in the case.
The Indonesian nationals had told the court that they had come to India on a valid visa and passport on January 20, 2020 and the first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was detected on March 2, 2020.
The FIR against them was lodged at Shahganj cop shoppe in Allahabad on April 1, 2020.
The police had booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Foreigners Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act. They were out on bail in the case.
The court also acquitted 10 Indians -- Ashraf PK, Shahajahn Ali, Khwaja Sabihuddin, Mohd Shakil, Mohd Ahmad, Dr Masiullah Khan, Mohd Tariq, Wasim Ahmad, Mohd Mustafa and Rizwanulhaq.