Chhattisgarh forms cabinet panel to review withdrawal of cases against surrendered Maoists
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Wednesday approved a series of measures to enable the withdrawal of criminal cases against Maoists who have surrendered under the states Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief & Rehabilitation Policy2025. To implement this, the government will set up a Cabinet sub-committee to review and scrutinise cases eligible for withdrawal based on the good conduct of surrendered Maoists and their contribution to curbing Left-wing extremism. After evaluation, the sub-committee will place recommended cases before the Cabinet for final approval. A district-level committee will also be constituted to examine cases registered against surrendered cadres and submit its findings to the police headquarters. Following legal vetting by the Law department, these cases will be presented to the Cabinet sub-committee. For offences under Central Acts or involving the Union government, the state will seek the Centres approval. Cases cleared by the government will be forwarded to district magistrates through public prosecutors for formal withdrawal in court. In a parallel move, the Cabinet approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Jan Vishwas (Provisions Amendment) Bill (Second), 2025, which proposes amendments to 116 provisions across 14 Acts in 11 departments. The bill aims to streamline outdated laws, reduce judicial burden, and make state regulations more citizen- and business-friendly by replacing minor criminal penalties with administrative fines. The state had earlier notified amendments to 163 provisions across eight Acts under the first Jan Vishwas Amendment Act, 2025. With the latest draft, Chhattisgarh becomes the first state in the country to introduce a second edition of the Jan Vishwas reform, intended to improve compliance, strengthen governance, and promote Ease of Doing Business.
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