Chhattisgarh sets up cabinet sub-committee to review cases against surrendered Naxalites

Raipur, Dec 10 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday set up a cabinet sub-committee to review criminal cases registered against Naxalites who have surrendered, and recommend eligible cases for withdrawal, officials said.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at his official residence here, a government statement said.

According to police, more than 2,380 Naxalites have surrendered in the state in the last two years.

"The cabinet has approved the process for disposing/withdrawing criminal cases registered against surrendered Naxalites. It has given nod to the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to review and examine the cases registered against surrendered Naxalites, which can be withdrawn from the courts. The committee will submit these cases before the cabinet after examination for final decision," the release said.

The decision has been taken in accordance with provisions of the Chhattisgarh Naxalite Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025, which provides for considering the disposal of cases registered against surrendered cadres, taking into account their good conduct and contribution to the elimination of Naxalism, the release said.

A district-level committee will first examine each surrendered cadre's pending criminal cases and submit its report to the police headquarters, which will forward the proposal along with its opinion.

The government will obtain the opinion of the law department and then submit the cases to the cabinet sub-committee, which will send it recommendations to the cabinet for a final call, the release said.

For offences lodged under central laws and related to the Union government, mandatory approval from the Centre will be sought, while other cases will be sent to district magistrates for withdrawal through public prosecutors, it added.

In another key decision, the cabinet approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) (second) Bill, 2025, aimed at updating and simplifying provisions of 14 state Acts to make them more citizen-friendly, the release said.

The government noted that violation of several Acts currently has provision for fines or imprisonment, leading to prolonged judicial processes and unnecessary inconvenience for people and businesses. To promote ease of doing business and ease of living, the simplification of these provisions is mandatory, it said.

Earlier, the Chhattisgarh Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2025, was notified by the state government, amending 163 provisions across 8 Acts. Now, this second edition of the bill will be introduced to further simplify and make more effective 116 provisions across 14 Acts of 11 departments, it said.

The fresh bill provides for administrative penalties for minor violations, which will lead to faster resolution of cases, reduce the burden on courts, and provide quicker relief to citizens. Furthermore, the bill addresses the issue of outdated penalty amounts in several Acts, which have been hindering effective enforcement. These amendments will promote good governance, it said.

Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to introduce a second edition of the Jan Vishwas Bill, as per the release.

The cabinet also approved the Chhattisgarh Appropriation Bill, 2025, for presenting the first supplementary budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the state assembly, scheduled to start from December 14. PTI TKP GK