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Updated: Aug 14, 2019 00:04 IST

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has asked officials to prepare a report on seven cases against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sangeet Som, an accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, a move that could result in the withdrawal of the charges against the controversial leader.

The cases were registered against Som between 2013 and 2017 in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Meerut and Gautam Buddh Nagar, an official told news agency IANS. These include cases in Muzaffarnagar during the 2013 riots, violation of Section 144 in Saharanpur and Gautam Buddh Nagar and taking out a procession in Sardhana, Som’s parliamentary constituency.

Law minister Brajesh Pathak confirmed the move. “The government has sought report from the district administration for withdrawal of some cases against the Sangeet Som,” he said, without giving more details about the cases.

Pathak said that a previous move to possibly withdraw some other cases against Som was still “under process” and no final decision had been taken so far.

Muzaffarnagar additional district magistrate Amit Singh told HT that the government has sought a report on four cases, including two cases registered against Som. “The government missive has been sent to district government counsel (criminal) for his opinion,” he said.

The BJP MLA was charged with inciting riots in Muzaffarnagar by giving provocative speeches. Television news channel NDTV quoted an official as saying that the report had been sought over 13 pointers. “We have been asked to prepare a report based on 13 pointers related to the withdrawal of the cases. The pointers include the names of courts, the stage of the trial, the details of the complainants and the accused,” Amit Kumar Singh, a senior government officer in Muzaffarnagar, told NDTV.

The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has initiated the process of withdrawing 74 cases related to riots but the court was yet to give permission for the same, according to IANS.

The report quoted Som as saying that the cases were registered against him due to political reasons by the then Samajwadi Party. “The police have not even filed a charge sheet in some cases. It is good if the government is withdrawing these false cases,” he said.