Maharashtra government seeks law department’s opinion on 368 Bhima-Koregaon cases

A day after the Uddhav Thackeray-led government decided to review cases filed against protesters in the Bhima-Koregaon violence of January 2018, the state home department

A day after the Uddhav Thackeray-led government decided to review cases filed against protesters in the Bhima-Koregaon violence of January 2018, the state home department has prepared a list of 368 cases and sought opinion of the law and judiciary department. The government is reviewing the cases that are of a “non-serious nature”, registered between January 1 and 2, 2018, said multiple home department officials, requesting anonymity.

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In January last year, violence erupted at an event to mark the 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one person dead and several others, including 10 police personnel, injured in Pune district.

Although chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has given an in-principle nod to withdraw the cases, the home department has sought opinion on individual cases before formally closing them. “In all, there are 649 cases that were registered, out of that charge sheet was filed in 368 cases, which will be reviewed. We have sent the file to the law and judiciary department. Once the reviews come, it would go to a committee that will take the final call,” said one of the officials.

A senior law and judiciary department official, who did not wish to be named, said typically cases, where police personnel have been obstructed from doing their duty and attacked during protests, carry adverse reviews. The department has not been given any time frame within which the review has to be completed. “We will look at these cases and give opinion on each case. It is a long-drawn process. Cases where policemen are attacked are likely to be flagged; even the home department would not like to clear those cases,” said the official.

The NCP, an ally in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, has demanded that cases against writers, intellectuals, and social activists, who were termed as “urban Naxals”, too be reviewed. However, the state isn’t reviewing such cases. Sanjay Kumar, additional chief secretary (home), said, “The cases that are reviewed are of non-serious nature and do not include cases against Elgar Parishad. We will review everything case-by-case and complete it as soon as possible.” Senior NCP leader and cabinet minister Jayant Patil on Wednesday said the government is not looking at blanket withdrawal of cases in the Bhima-Koregaon incident.

Apart from the Bhima-Koregaon cases, Thackeray in the past few days, has asked to withdraw cases against protesters in the Nanar oil refinery project and the Metro car shed at Aarey Milk Colony project. A high-level committee has been appointed under the additional chief secretary of the home department to review these cases.