Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Wednesday announced to withdraw the sedition cases filed against 3000 people in Dhanbad for protesting against the newly amended Citizenship Law.
“Issued directions to scrap the charges of sedition imposed on 3000 in Dhanbad. Also, appropriate action against the guilty officer has been recommended”, the Jharkhand CM said in tweet on Wednesday.
Dhanbad Police circle officer Prashant Kumar Laiq had filed a written complaint, henceforth an FIR was registered against the people protesting against the Citizenship Act for allegedly blocking traffic and shouting slogans hurting religious sentiments. They were also charged with unlawful assembly and taking out a procession without permission. The Police booked 3,000 unidentified people and 7 named persons under Sections 143, 145, 149, 186, 188, 290, 291, 336, 153A, 153B and 124A of the IPC.
The Superintendent of Police of Dhanbad has written a letter addressed to the Circle Officer, directing him to immediately mention before the court to scrap Section 124A of IPC from the FIR filed on January 7, 2019.
The SP in its written letter has stated that Section 124A in the FIR appears to have been registered without through understanding of the situation. SHO has been issued a show cause notice asking why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against him for the inclusion of Section 124A in the FIR and the notice has to be replied within three days.
“It appears that the FIR was registered without assessing the situation, this reflects your careless attitude and incompetence. You are hereby directed to reply to the notice within three days, failing which disciplinary action will be initiated against you”, the letter reads.
Soren in the same tweet had also said, “Law is not meant to scare the people at large and suppress their voice, but is rather to develop a sense of security among common people. The government under my leadership will ensure that law will act to strengthen people’s voice……..I would also appeal to all the brothers / sisters of Jharkhand that this is your state, and it is our duty to respect the law and order.”
It is in generally seen that whenever ruling dispensation is changed, cases against political leaders are withdrawn. After BJP assumed power in UP, cases against CM Yogi Adityanath were withdrawn. These are the cases filed by the administration and can be withdrawn. Often, these cases are alleged to be ‘politically motivated cases’. But, in case of private parties filing case against the other, only High Courts can order quashing of FIR’s as per Section 482 of the CRPC.