Varansi blasts: Centre cautions UP govt on withdrawing cases

Union Minister of State for Home R P N Singh also hoped that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would go through the files of the suspects in the case before taking any such step.

"In any case, that is the Government of Uttar Pradesh taking view on that. I haven't reviewed those cases. If there is some kind of recommendation that come from Uttar Pradesh, be it any terrorist case, if there is an iota of evidence against any terrorist, I think that would set a bad precedent," he told reporters here.

"...And I am sure that the Chief Minister has taken everything into view and gone through the file before he takes any such step," the Minister said.

Singh was responding to questions on the UP government seeking permission from the Allahabad High Court to withdraw cases against two suspects of 2006 Varanasi serial blasts which had claimed 25 lives.

Last week, the high court had lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government's move to withdraw terror charges against those accused in the Varanasi serial blasts.

The Akhilesh government had earlier written to district magistrates of Lucknow, Faizabad, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Rampur, asking if there was sufficient evidence to prosecute suspects in the 2006 serial blasts and other terror attacks in the state.

In its election manifesto, the Samajwadi Party had promised to review charges against terror suspects to prevent the harassment of innocents.