Vijayvargiya expresses anger over delay in withdrawal of cases against pro-CAA protesters

A BJP MLA's passionate plea for the withdrawal of cases filed against her husband by the erstwhile Congress government for a pro-CAA protest and the delay in resolving the issue by the current government evoked calls for speedy action by state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya. The State Parliamentary Affairs Minister expressed his displeasure with Public Health and Medical Education Minister Narendra Shivaji Patel and suggested that cases registered in political matters should be taken seriously and disposed of soon.

Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar also asked Patel to take a swift decision to resolve the matter. The matter was raised in the state legislative assembly during question hour by BJP MLA Neena Verma. Cases were filed against her husband and former Union Minister Vikram Verma and BJP workers by the then Congress government in 2019 for staging pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in Dhar district.

Verma said she had raised this issue in the last session of the Assembly and was assured that the matter had been forwarded to the government with the recommendation of the Dhar District Withdrawal Committee.

She questioned the reason for the delay in resolving the issue.

In response, minister Patel, who was answering on behalf of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, said the erstwhile Congress government had taken malicious action in the 2019 protest case.

FIRs were registered against several BJP leaders and activists, including Vikram Verma and Savitri Thakur, the incumbent MP from Dhar and Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development.

Patel said the government was willing to withdraw these cases, but the provisions of Section 247 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita are standing in the way. This section mentions that a prosecuting officer can withdraw the charges only with the consent of the court, or in the event of the court stopping the investigation or trial at its discretion.

He assured Neena Verma that the matter would be resolved within three months. However, she was not convinced and said those against whom cases were filed had to run around the courts.

The Speaker joined the issue and suggested that Verma meet with Minister Patel once and explain her position.

Verma replied that she had met Patel three times and also raised the issue in the previous session of the assembly.

Vijayvargiya, who was present in the House, said that decisions should be taken on such political cases which can be withdrawn.

He said that Vikram Verma is 80 years old and has to do the rounds of the courts.

''Take such cases seriously and end them,'' Vijayvargiya added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)