Accused of having participated in an illegal procession: Abdul Javed Meetoo exonerated

Abdul Javed Meetoo was accused of having participated in an illegal procession in Vallée-des-Prêtres on June 4, 2019. On May 30, 2024, the Port-Louis court pronounced an acquittal verdict against the 47-year-old cleric. The court held that it was a religious procession and not an illegal demonstration.

Abdul Javed Meetoo, who lives in Vallée-Pitot, was accused of “taking part in an illegal public procession”. He had retained the services of Me Raouf Gulbul. Me Vijay Cooshna was the Prosecuting Counsel. The clergyman pleaded not guilty.

Five police officers testified in this trial. They were on patrol on the night of June 4, 2019. And they had received a request to go to Vallée-des-Prêtres. They had seen around twenty vehicles there, including motorcycles, vans and cars and around a hundred people. The license plates of some motorcycles were hidden. In addition, the people who participated in this procession were masked.

In her judgment, magistrate Shavina Jugnauth noted inconsistencies in the police testimonies. Their versions did not support their statements.

She took into account the defense of Abdul Javed Meetoo who had maintained that he was participating in a religious procession and not in a demonstration. Because June 5, 2019, was the day of the Eid holiday. Moreover, no evidence has been put forward by the prosecution to prove the contrary, underlined the magistrate. Additionally, the Public Gathering Act states that a religious procession is not a public procession. The magistrate ruled that the prosecution did not establish the accusation against Abdul Javed Meetoo. The accused was acquitted.