By IANS,
Bhopal : The State Election Commission has asked the Madhya Pradesh government to furnish a list of all the criminal cases withdrawn by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, following complaints that it withdrew criminal cases against its supporters.
The idea of withdrawal of petty cases was mooted when Babulal Gaur headed the state’s BJP government from August 2004 to November 2005.
The government had stted then: “It has been observed that petty cases registered against political activists and others during agitations keep on dragging for years and hamper the justice delivery system. Therefore, such cases, which are compoundable and of non-serious nature, be withdrawn.”
But the opposition parties including the main opposition the Congress have alleged that the government had been choosy in withdrawing cases.
“The BJP government withdrew cases against criminals associated with the party so that they could be used to terrorise the voters during elections,” alleged J.P. Dhanopia, spokesman and former president of the legal cell of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
“Though the exact number of withdrawn cases is still being compiled, the number is likely to hover around 75,000 or even more,” a source in the State Election Commission said.
“The information – like the sections under which the accused was booked and the grounds on which a case against him has been withdrawn – is being collected and a compiled report would soon be sent to the Election Commission of India,” the source said.
“The purpose is to identify the nature of cases withdrawn and whether the decision to withdraw them was politically motivated.”