The Tamil Nadu government has decided to withdraw over 5,000 cases registered against people who protested against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the three farm laws that were passed in Parliament in September 2020.
The cases that have been withdrawn also include those filed against the media, those who protested against the Kudankulam atomic plant and the eight-lane road projects in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin made the announcement in the Assembly recently.
A total of 5,570 cases have been withdrawn, according to the government order dated 4 September. These include 26 cases registered against the freedom of media and press (that were filed between 2011 and 2021), 2,831 cases for agitations against the farm laws, 2,282 cases over protests against CAA, 405 cases over the eight-lane project, methane, neutrino, etc, and 26 cases filed against people who protested the Kudankulam plant.
The cases that have been withdrawn are those in which the investigation is still pending or a chargesheet has not been filed. It was recommended to the government that any further action in such cases may be dropped by the police.
In cases that are pending trial, the Assistant Public Prosecutor in charge has been directed to move an application for withdrawal of prosecution.
For cases filed against MPs and MLAs, as per Supreme Court directions that no case shall be withdrawn without the permission of the High Court, the government will furnish details of the same before the Madras High Court soon, the order said.
“The Director-General of Police is directed to furnish the details of cases involved against sitting or former MPs/MLAs to the government, for taking up the matter with the High Court of Madras,” says the order, signed by SK Prabakar, Additional Chief Secretary to the Tamil Nadu government.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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