A file photo of Maulana Saad
Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad, in the firing line of authorities for spearheading a religious congregation that snowballed into India's coronavirus epicentre, has tested negative for coronavirus, his lawyer claimed on Sunday. People close to him say that Saad now wants to join the police probe against him and have conveyed his intentions to the agencies.
Sources in the Crime Branch have however denied knowledge of being approached by the religious leader, also rejecting the claim from his lawyer about Saad wanting to appear in court or surrender.
Saad is facing multiple complaints, the most prominent being organising a religious congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin in March. Over a third of India's overall coronavirus infections have been traced to that gathering, as per the Union Home Ministry. An FIR was filed against Saad on March 31.
Another FIR was filed against the Tablighi Jamaat chief for laundering money disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a complaint based on the allegations on April 16.
The religious leader has been underground since the controversy around the religious gathering attracted public attention, though he has been giving interviews to the media from an undisclosed location.
Also read: Mosques becoming major source of Covid-19 transmission in Pakistan, warns PIMA
