Maharashtra’s Employment Guarantee Scheme and Tourism Development Minister Jaykumar Rawal has demanded that cases against Shri Rajput Karni Sena members be withdrawn immediately. In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mr. Rawal has urged for a review of cases registered during the protests over the film Padmaavat last year. Several of the protesters were students who had unknowingly taken part in the agitation and were later booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for damage and destruction of public property. For the sake of their future, the decision to pursue the d cases must be reviewed, Mr. Rawal urged in the letter.
The students are from Dhule and Jalgaon, which is part of Mr. Rawal’s constituency. “They approached me seeking reconsideration of the cases. A criminal record on their resume could jeopardise their careers,” Mr. Rawal told The Hindu.
Senior officials of the Maharashtra Home Department said they are yet to receive a copy of the letter from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Once received, it will be forwarded to the ministerial committee reviewing withdrawal of cases of political nature, including those registered during the Maratha agitations. “Last week we took back 41 cases which were political in nature. But it is unlikely that we would be holding a meeting of the review committee during the code of conduct period,” a senior Home Department official said..
