Acting on the “request” of the Delhi hc, a trial court here has dismissed criminal charges against 65 refugees from Pakistan who had filed a petition seeking that the cases against them in India be withdrawn as they would soon be migrating to third countries. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Amit Bansal on
Wednesday said that “it would be in public interest and the object of administration of justice would be advanced” by granting permission to the prosecution to withdraw the criminal cases against the 65 accused.
The Delhi high court had on November 30 “requested” the ACMM to take a decision on humanitarian grounds on the plea of the petitioners who been seeking asylum in India and were in judicial custody here since 2007. “Purely on humanitarian grounds, the learned ACMM is requested to take such appropriate decision as he may deem fit and in accordance with the law on the application seeking withdrawal of prosecution by the state,” Justice V.K. Shali had said. The refugees had approached the hC seeking a direction to the lower court to dispose the criminal charges against them as early as possible as they are scheduled to go to Canada and the US later this month.