Telangana stir cases to be lifted soon

HYDERABAD: Home minister Sabita Indira Reddy has said that cases registered against students and others during the separate Telangana and Samaikhya Andhra movements would be lifted in a phased manner.So far, the state government have withdrawn as many as 843 cases out of the 1,667 cases booked against nearly 5,000 persons.Efforts were on to lift the remaining cases, the home minister told newsmen here on Saturday after a review meeting with the police officials.Depending on the nature of offence and severity, all the cases pertaining to the agitations have been divided into five categories.The cases falling in the fifth category have been referred to the law department for their opinion, she said.MIM MLAs Akbaruddin Owaisi, Ahmed Pasha Quadri and Ahmed Balala met the home minister to discuss the cases relating to Mecca Masjid blast.The minister said cases against first-time offenders would be withdrawn after an inquiry.Habitual offenders would face strict action.