Tamil Nadu: Stalin Govt Withdraws 5,570 Cases Against Protestors Booked During AIADMK Rule, Report Says

Cases filed against the media and those who protested against, CAA, farm laws, the Kudankulam nuclear plant project and the eight-lane road project in Tamil Nadu, have also been withdrawn.

TN Chief Minister MK Stalin (File Picture)

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government is learnt to have withdrawn about 5,570 cases that were registered against people for protesting against the three farm laws passed last year, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and other issues. 

Quoting unidentified officials, a report in Hindustan Times said that the cases that were filed against the media and those who participated in protests against the Kudankulam nuclear plant project and the eight-lane road project in Tamil Nadu have also been withdrawn.

In the election manifesto, the ruling party had assured to withdraw cases registered against people, who participated in multiple protests during AIADMK’s rule. Subsequently, an announcement was made in the state assembly by the chief minister MK Stalin.

The report said that the state government issued an order on September 4 withdrawing 5,570 cases registered against protestors in the last one decade of AIADMK government and the order was made public on Friday. 

Quoting the order signed by the additional chief secretary SK Prabakar, the report said that the state government has withdrawn 26 cases filed against journalists, 2,831 cases filed for protests against the farm laws, 405 cases filed for protesting against the eight-lane Salem express way project, 2,282 cases filed for protesting against CAA and 26 cases filed for protesting against Kudankulam nuclear power plant project. 

According to the report, the order said that only those cases that are still pending or charge-sheet has not been filed, were withdrawn and the government had recommended the police to drop further actions in these cases. For those cases that are pending before the court, the government has directed the assistant public prosecutor to move an application to withdraw the case, the order said.

Pointing out that cases against MLAs and MPs cannot be withdrawn without the permission of the High Court as per Supreme Court directions, the order said that the government will submit the required details before the Madras High Court at the earliest, as per the report.