Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami on Friday announced that all cases against those who protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and violated Covid-19 lockdown restrictions would be withdrawn, continuing with his outreach efforts ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
“A million cases filed during the lockdown period and 1500 cases filed during the anti-CAA protests will be withdrawn in public interest,” Palaniswami said. “Except for cases filed against specific serious offences, and for not allowing police personnel from discharging their duty, all other cases will be withdrawn.” A statement subsequently issued by the state government added that cases of violence or obtaining an e-pass fraudulently would continue to be investigated. Activists welcomed the state’s decision.
During the anti-CAA protests, a case was filed against human rights activist and senior advocate of the Madras high court Sudha Ramalingam. “After students were attacked in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, we held a candlelight vigil. Police stationed there shook hands with me for keeping the protest peaceful,” she said.
“Months later I came to know that an FIR was filed and I was accused No. 1. It goes on to show how the entire police machinery and criminal law is being abused by the state to silence people. The CM and the politicians know that there is really no case here and when taken to trial, it will end up in acquittals. That’s why in most cases there is no charge sheet filed. It will be kept pending. One fine day it will be dropped and that’s nearer to the elections. It’s time we take cognisance that these were cases foisted by abusing the process of law,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}“Months later I came to know that an FIR was filed and I was accused No. 1. It goes on to show how the entire police machinery and criminal law is being abused by the state to silence people. The CM and the politicians know that there is really no case here and when taken to trial, it will end up in acquittals. That’s why in most cases there is no charge sheet filed. It will be kept pending. One fine day it will be dropped and that’s nearer to the elections. It’s time we take cognisance that these were cases foisted by abusing the process of law,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}The state’s ruling AIADMK, which is fighting the elections with its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party, supported the CAA that fast-tracks Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Christians and Buddhists from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanisation who entered India before December 31, 2014.
The withdrawal of cases would also appear to be part of Palaniswami’s strategy to broadbase the AIADMK’s appeal, especially in the context of its alliance with the BJP.
Palaniswami also announced on Friday that his government would consider withdrawing cases filed against people who protested against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) that were lodged between 2011 and 2014.The charges range from petty offences for unlawful assembly to sedition.
“By withdrawing these cases the government has recognised that peaceful protests is a democratic right,” said Henry Tiphange, executive director of People’s Watch, a human rights NGO. “We had included this in our human rights manifesto which we submitted to all political parties in January. We demand cases to be withdrawn against all other protestors too.”