BHOPAL: The state cabinet headed by chief minister Kamal Nath on Thursday initiated the process of withdrawal of criminal cases registered against farmers, political leaders and party workers during the 15 years of BJP rule. "All cases registered by the government and administration with the intent of political malice and vengeance will be withdrawn," said minister for sports and youth welfare Jeetu Patwari.

With this the Kamal Nath government started the process of fulfilling its promise made in the Vachan Patra manifesto. The Congress’ assembly election manifesto promised, "We will withdraw all false criminal cases registered against farmers during the farmers’ agitations (Kisan Andolans)/ political agitations by farmers and agitations done by social/political workers."

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting on Thursday evening, Jeetu Patwari said that the council of ministers have approved setting up of a three-member committee at every district comprising of the district collector, superintendent of police and district prosecutor to scrutinize such cases and forward those to the home department.

"Persons accused and named in such cases will have to file an application to this committee. Those cases will then be examined by the committee and forwarded to the home department. If the home department feels that the case falls under the category of those registered after a political or farmers’ agitation, then they will in turn send it to the law department," Patwari explained. "But the process to withdraw false and malicious cases against farmers, political workers and persons of SC/ST communities has been initiated," he added.

Minister for law and legislative affairs PC Sharma told reporters that the exact number of such cases will be known after the applications for withdrawal are received at the districts. Sharma claimed that in Bhopal city there are 308 false cases registered against political workers when they were not even present during an agitation.

"The previous government knew the identity of workers of the other political party and they were named at random even when they were absent from protests and agitations," PC Sharma claimed.

