LUCKNOW: The Yogi government has decided to withdraw criminal cases registered against traders and migrant labourers who violated the Epidemic Act during the lockdown period in the state in 2020.
Giving this information to TOI on Thursday, law and justice minister Brajesh Pathak said that cases against people linked with Tablighi Jamaat would not be withdrawn and they would have to face legal action.
The minister said that delegations of traders had been pressing for withdrawal of cases registered against them under the Epidemic Act.
“After deliberations, the state government decided to withdraw their cases,” Pathak said. Terming it as a ‘historic’ decision, several organisations of traders have hailed the government for considering their demand sympathetically. Over 10,000 cases were registered against traders and migrant labourers, Pathak said.
In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the state government had imposed lockdowns in the state, while ensuring availability of essential commodities. During the lockdown the police had registered hundreds of cases against traders and migrant workers for violation of the Epidemic Act.