Chhattisgarh Panel to Review Cases of Surrendered Naxalites

A cabinet subcommittee was established by the Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday to examine criminal cases filed against Naxalites who have turned themselves in and suggest cases that qualify for withdrawal, according to officials.

According to a government release, the decision was made during a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at his official house here.

Over 2,380 Naxalites have turned themselves in in the state over the past two years, according to authorities.

"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of a cabinet sub-committee to review and examine the cases registered against surrendered Naxalites, which can be withdrawn from the courts.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.

According to the release, the decision was made in compliance with the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Naxalite Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025, which stipulates that the disposition of cases filed against cadres who have surrendered must take into account their good behaviour and contribution to the eradication of Naxalism.

Each surrendered cadre's pending criminal offences will first be reviewed by a district-level committee, which will then report its findings to police headquarters, which will then convey the proposal and its assessment.

The statementread that the government will obtain the law department's opinion before presenting the cases to the cabinet subcommittee, which will then forward its recommendations to the cabinet for a final decision.

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 measure provides for administrative fines for small offences, which will lead to faster resolution of cases, lessen the strain on courts, and provide quicker relief to residents. Furthermore, the measure addresses the issue of obsolete penalty amounts in various Acts, which have been inhibiting effective enforcement. It stated that these changes will encourage effective governance.

According to the statement, Chhattisgarh is the first state in the nation to present a revised version of the Jan Vishwas Bill.

Additionally, the cabinet approved the Chhattisgarh Appropriations Bill, 2025, which calls for the state legislature to begin submitting the first supplemental budget for the fiscal year 2025–2026 on December 14.